Heartbreakers
by xxxChaoticHarmonyxxx
Summary: It was all a game until feelings got involved...high school fanfic with OCs and plenty of madness that comes along with high school. reviews are welcome :
1. Chapter 1: New Face

**Author's Note: **Hi Hi! Well, i'm no stranger to fanfics on this site as i share an account with my best friend. But I kinda wanted to try something on my own. You know, spread my wings XD anywho, it's going to be a high school story with drama (yeah something i do a lot and i'm now known as the girl who jacks up people's lives because of it) angst and some romance with a splash of friendship. I hope you guys like the first chapter and I'm going to try to update as fast as possible. reviews are welcome! take care :)

* * *

"Sora!" A spiky-haired blond with clear blue eyes called out to the brunette standing beside a silver-haired teen near the lockers. The blond glided down the hallways and made his way over to his friends who greeted him as he dropped his backpack to the floor.

"Tidus, why were you held late in class?" Sora, the brunette asked curiously with wide blue eyes wanting to know the reason.

"Again," the stoic-looking companion next to Sora drawled slowly, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "Did you get caught texting?"

Tidus rolled his eyes and leaned against the lockers, brushing off his navy blue blazer. "Not this time. I had to talk to my Math Analysis teacher about my grade."

The silver-haired teen chuckled. "Don't tell me you're flunking already; it's only the third week of school."

"Riku," Tidus' clear sky-blue eyes narrowed, "just because I don't get the kind of grades you get, doesn't mean that I'm automatically flunking."

Sora smiled and dug his hands into his khaki-colored slacks. "So what happened?'

"Not much," Tidus replied nonchalantly. "I just needed a grade check before we start with blitzball conditioning."

Sora and Riku gave each other understanding glances. "So that's why it took you so long," Sora said as he turned the dial on his locker. "Well, at least it's nothing to be worried about." His locker clicked open and he placed a rather large English textbook inside, followed by a notebook and binder. "I should really be getting on that…"

Riku's aquamarine eyes fell on Sora. "You haven't gotten your grades checked either?"

Sora shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "I'll get it done today. No hurry."

Riku's silver eyebrow was cocked up in amusement. "I don't know if you're just too calm about things, or if you're just too lazy to do it and get it over with."

And instantly Sora's good-natured smile was replaced with a pout. "Hey! I am not lazy!"

Tidus playfully shoved Sora. "Yeah right," disbelief colored his voice, "you're always taking forever to do stuff. Remember when we had that huge World History project and you were asleep on the islet we played on?"

"Oh yeah," Riku remembered the incident. "Didn't you get tossed into the water for that?"

The event played over in Sora's mind and it was evident on his face that he had in fact remembered. "It was freezing out there too," he recalled, shivering in response to the incident.

At that moment, a spiky-haired dirty blond who looked almost exactly like Sora came up to the trio with a fair blond girl at his side.

"Hey you guys, what's going on?" the blond boy greets with a slight smile.

"What's up Roxas?" Tidus greets the boy. Then he turns to the girl next to him. "Hey, Naminé."

Naminé offers a kind smile and says hello to each of the boys politely. "Did you guys hear about the new transfer students?"

"Yeah," Sora answered, "I saw a couple of them walking down the halls."

"And you can tell that they're transfers _because_…?" Tidus asked with a strange look of confusion.

"Because I've never seen them before," Sora replied while staring off to the side. "Let's face it: Destiny Islands Rising Suns Academy _rarely _gets any newcomers. We've all been staring at the same faces for the past 10 years. Not many people transfer here," he explained while closing his locker.

"Oh well, I'm glad we get to see some new faces," Tidus said with a wide grin.

"You're just hoping to see a couple of hot new girls," Riku states blandly, brushing his medium length silver hair over his shoulder. "That's why you're grinning."

The group broke out into a fit of laughter while Tidus' face turned a light shade of pink. "So? I get tired of looking at the same chicks year after year after year after year," he said with a heavy sigh. "It gets kind of boring."

"By the way," Sora turned to Roxas and Naminé, "are we all still going over to you guys' house this Friday for movies and stuff?"

Naminé and Roxas nod their heads in unison and Tidus stared at them incredulously. "I know you guys are brother and sister, but the twin thing is a little creepy…"

Roxas placed his hand in the pocket of his slacks. "Maybe you don't need to panic off every little thing," he teased. He then turned to Naminé and grinned. "He won't last five minutes with Paranormal Activity."

"I know," Riku added playfully, "all we have to do is turn off the lights and you're done man."

"Don't you have a girlfriend to be hanging out with?" Tidus asked with annoyance clear in his voice. "I mean, instead of bashing me, you could be with her."

Riku merely stated, "I don't know who you're talking about."

"That girl Alex," Tidus reminded him. "You know, the really hot strawberry blond?"

"Oh, her?" Riku waved away the girl as if she were just someone he just met. "Technically, she's not my girlfriend."

"Then why the heck are you guys attached at the hip whenever I see you?"

"We just mess around," Riku replied, "it's nothing serious."

Naminé and Roxas stared at each other, then at Riku, then back to each other. "You know Riku," Roxas began slowly, "you should let her know it's not serious before she decides to claim you."

"Don't worry about me," Riku reassured the group. "I can handle myself."

"Just do it before she gets her heart broken or something," Naminé advised. 'You know you tend to do just that.' She added to herself.

* * *

A young woman with clear, flawless skin and long dark brown hair reaching her elbows turned off the stove and stirred the vegetable stew in the cooking pot. She filled two bowls with the stew before setting the pot back down and wiping her hands on her apron.

"Jasmine!" she called up the stairs of her house. "It's time for dinner!"

The sound of crashing and things tipping over came from the first floor, making the brunette cringe.

"I'll be right down Aunt Tifa!" A girl calls in the midst of all the madness. Footsteps racing down the stairs could be heard and a young teenager appeared in the kitchen.

"Wow," Tifa said, her soft brown eyes wide in amazement. "It only took you five seconds to get down here from the second floor…"

Jasmine, a tan-skinned teenage girl with ebony hair falling a couple of inches past her shoulders smiled. She adjusted the stylish, rectangular gold and black glasses sitting on the tip of her nose and her large, hazel, cat-like eyes sparkled. "I smelled your cooking and got here as fast as I could."

Tifa chuckled and set the bowls down at the kitchen table. Jasmine took her place across from Tifa and began to devour the stew.

"Did you finish unpacking?" Tifa asked as she took a sip of her soda. "Are you all settled in?"

After swallowing, Jasmine dabbed the corners of her mouth with her napkin. "Like an hour ago. I was just upstairs reading through my textbooks."

"Already?" Tifa cooled off the stew on her spoon by gently blowing it. "I'm sure you'd get some extra time from your teachers since you missed the first few weeks of school." Jasmine shook her head, whipping her hair around her face.

"It's okay. Besides, since it's only been the first few week of school, I haven't missed much."

"Just don't over-do it," Tifa advised. "Rising Suns is a challenge and I don't want you to burn yourself out."

Jasmine stared at her guardian and smiled. "It's just another high school. What could go _that _wrong?"


	2. Chapter 2: Bit of Drama

Jasmine sat in an empty desk at the back of her homeroom class. She adjusted her glasses, took out a composition notebook and brushed off her blue plaid skirt. The bell was to ring in a couple of minutes and already several students had taken their seats, eyeing the newcomer with intrigue. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Jasmine sank in her seat and stared determinedly at the clock above the teacher's podium.

'Come on you stupid bell,' she thought anxiously as she drummed her fingers against the desk, 'ring already.' Jasmine ducked her head down and began to scribble on her notebook. She had been so disconnected in what she was doing, that she hadn't even noticed that the bell had in fact rang and the homeroom teacher was standing in front of the classroom.

"Good morning," the man said with a smile so bright that it lit up the room. The class dully answered and fell silent shortly after. "Okay, I guess you guys hate Mondays," he concluded, still very cheerful despite the heavy air in the classroom. Once he cleared his throat, he continued on, "alright class, as you all know, we have a lot planned for this year and a couple of them are coming up within the next few weeks."

Jasmine sighed softly and continued to scribble on her notebook. 'Didn't school _just _get started? What's with all the activities?'

"And the first event coming up is Rising Suns Spirit Week with elections for classroom representative," he added while leafing through an agenda on his right-hand side. "So, in two weeks from today, we will be having elections—"

The door to the classroom slid open and the teacher paused, his smile dropping by several molars. "Riku, why are you late?"

The pale-skinned, silver-haired teen walked in with his blazer over his shoulder and his onyx tie partially undone. "Sorry about that, Mr. James. I came in from the counseling office."

Mr. James ran a hand through his short brown hair and sighed, taking the yellow tardy pass from Riku as he walked back to his seat. "Just don't make it a habit."

Riku smiled and walked down the aisle. "Won't happen again," he promised sincerely. The teacher eyed his student suspiciously before turning back to the class.

"And by the way," Jasmine continued to look away from the direction where Riku was walking, opting for a view of the outside instead. She could feel the student's footsteps approaching her but kept her attention elsewhere. "We have a new student who transferred in from Twilight Town."

For a moment, Jasmine felt as if she were slapped in the back of her head. 'Holy crap did he have to put me out there?'

And then the footsteps stopped at Jasmine's desk. Riku stared at the newcomer with mild curiosity and another smirk crept upon his face. 'Ah, this is what Naminé was talking about…' he mused to himself as he took the vacant seat next to Jasmine, with sharp, calculating eyes still on the obviously embarrassed transfer student.

"Would you mind raising your hand Ms. F—"

"You can call me Jasmine," she said quickly while shielding her eyes by placing a hand over her forehead. "Jasmine is fine."

Mr. James scratched his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever makes you feel comfortable," he then cleared his throat once more and continued, "We would like to welcome you to this Rising Suns Academy. In this homeroom, as are the others, we work together almost like a family, so don't be afraid to ask someone for help."

Jasmine removed her hand for a moment and forced a small smile. "Thanks," she said weakly.

"No problem at all Jasmine. But as I was saying, we have classroom elections coming up and I would like you all to think about it. Okay?" The class muttered a response, now a little more awake than when they started. Mr. James walked to the front of the classroom and picked up a stack of papers, passing out several copies to the students at the front of each row.

Jasmine held a mechanical pencil in hand and let it drop over and over to the desk, breaking the lead as it did so. 'Did he really have to introduce me like that? I already stick out.' And then Jasmine stopped when she felt a powerful set of eyes glued to her. She cocked her head to the side to find that the silver-haired boy at her side was staring directly at her, seemingly unashamed of the fact that she caught him.

"Uh, hi," she said with an eyebrow raised, curious of why he was still staring at her even when she when she stared back.

Riku remained silent and his eyes fell to the front of the class, ignoring Jasmine's greeting completely.

'Okay, that's one person I _don't _need to make nice with,' Jasmine thought with annoyance clearly running across her face. She looked forward and grabbed the slip of paper the person ahead of her passed back. 'All I did was say 'hi' and nothing else. Rude.' Jasmine scanned over the paper quickly, finding that it was an open house, and slipped it into the binder on her desk.

At that moment, the bell rang and Jasmine stared around curiously, wondering why homeroom was ending so early. She let out a sigh of frustration and slipped her belongings into the purple messenger bag that hung from a latch on her desk. "This is gonna be a long day," she mumbled softly.

Jasmine looked up once again to see Riku staring at her with an unreadable expression. But already irritated from the look he gave her earlier, she cut her eyes at him and adjusted the strap on her shoulder.

"Yeah, when my sister and I came here last year, we got the same treatment," a boy spoke to Jasmine in a calm, gentle tone.

Jasmine turned to the voice's origin and found herself staring at an attractive, dirty blond boy with radical spikes and amazing azure eyes. He offered her a warm smile and a wave of comfort washed over her. "Seriously?"

"Definitely," he replied with a nod of his head.

Jasmine ran a hand nervously through her hair. "And here I was thinking I would be able to slip in quietly…"

"Not a chance; new students are kind of rare here. By the way," he held out his hand, "my name is Roxas."

The dark-haired girl took his hand and felt a weight being lifted on her shoulders. "Nice to meet you; mine is—"

"Jasmine," Roxas said with a chuckled before releasing her hand. "Mr. James cleared up the whole name thing."

"Guess so." She reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out her program card. "I have to get to AP Chemistry right now."

"With Dr. White?"

Jasmine nodded while Roxas continued. "Well then I guess I can walk you. I have him now too."

'Roxas: calm, not overly-friendly, and seems nice. He could be a friend.' Jasmine thought with newfound confidence. "Thanks a lot. Now I don't feel so alone."

Roxas led her to the door and walked side by side with Jasmine. "I get it. When I first came here, I didn't know what to expect. But I had my sister with me."

"You have a sister?"

"Yeah, my twin Naminé," Roxas replied. "I never had to worry about being alone."

"Must be nice," she wrapped a stand of loose hair around her ear. 'Maybe the first day won't be so bad after all.'

* * *

'Scratch what I said earlier,' Jasmine leaned against her locker in defeat with a stack of books in her arms. 'This day just got shot,' she dropped the textbooks she had been carrying since lunch began and slumped to the floor. Not only had Jasmine been forced to go through an introduction, each more embarrassing than the last, but now she had at least three nights' worth of homework due the next day. In addition to that, she had the majority of her classes changed to subjects she had not anticipated. Then, whenever she walked down the halls, she found herself subject to the stares of the other students who looked at her as if she were an oddity.

"Stupid rich snobs," she grumbled as she took out her cell phone. Jasmine typed away on the touch screen and wished that she hadn't of been called into the main office before lunch time. 'At least I could have hung out with Roxas or something. He was pretty cool.'

Jasmine sent a text message to Tifa and plugged in a pair of earphones, putting up a wall to the world around her. 'Okay, so I need to study for the test I have on Friday; look for a job while I'm out here in rich-people town, and work on an essay.'

"Can you _move_?" a voice belonging to a guy said rudely.

Jasmine snapped out of her daze and her head shot up, only to find the same silver-haired guy she'd been blessed with in her homeroom, standing over her with his blazer in his hands. His eyes were unnaturally cold and despite how small she felt compared to the tall, intimidating junior, she did not back down.

"Can you be a little nicer?" She snapped viciously as she ripped out her earphones.

Riku stared at Jasmine as if she were a pest and rolled his eyes. "Just move," he said, "you're in front of my locker."

Jasmine stood up in that instant, but did not move away. "You think you can watch that crappy attitude? I haven't done anything to have earned it."

A silver eyebrow shot up in intrigue. "You have an attitude, don't you?"

"Me? I've got an attitude? You're the one talking down to _me. _That means _you've _got the stick crammed up your—"

Riku eyed her, all the earlier irritation gone and out of his expression. But he did something Jasmine had not expected him to do: he pressed his hand to her stomach and gently pushed her to the side before punching in his combination.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Jasmine asked, feeling shocked beyond all reason.

"I needed to get to my locker and you were in my way," Riku explained slowly as he grabbed his backpack.

Jasmine, who was taken aback by his disrespect, closed her eyes and put on her royal blue blazer. She picked up her belongings without even looking Riku's way. She walked past him, but as she did so, Jasmine kicked his locker closed while his fingers were out of the way and kept on walking.

Riku's jaw nearly dropped and he whipped his head around to stare at Jasmine as she made her way down the hall. As she did so, she looked over her shoulder and shot him an icy glare that could have killed. 'Yeah, I'm not afraid of you, jerk,' she thought as she turned back around and headed down the hall.

So as Jasmine exited the gates of the school, shielded from the sun hanging in the twilight sky by several clouds, she went over what she learned today.

'This school loves giving obscene amounts of homework, that's for sure. Number two: Roxas is a nice guy and I should probably be hanging around him. Three: The kid in my class with the silver hair is an arrogant, self-centered, pretty boy who has no concept of personal space.'

'Conclusion: Riku is someone who will give me a hard time. No doubt about it.'


	3. Chapter 3: Sharing Friends

**Author's Note: **I wanna thank **Catalyna Cullen **for the review. I actually had to deal with a guy like that recently and the whole locker thing just flowed through. Too bad in real life i didn't do it to the guy T_T anywho, I'll keep it going and i promise not to stop! Now that its past the awkward intro to the characters phase, the story can keep going strong! Reviews are always welcome.

* * *

Jasmine arrived to homeroom the following morning right on time, well a few minutes before the bell rang and smiled when she saw Roxas sitting at his desk. She grabbed the strap of her messenger bag and walked on over to him.

"Morning Jasmine," Roxas greeted cheerfully.

"Hey Roxas," Jasmine set her bag at her feet and adjusted her glasses.

"What happened to you yesterday at lunch?" He asked, leaning forward in his desk. "I was looking for you."

"Oh," she rolled her eyes before continuing, "I had to have some classes switched so I had to leave. Sorry about that."

Roxas smiled and opened his binder. "Did you meet anyone new?"

Jasmine could feel her teeth grinding but did not take too much notice until Roxas shot her a quizzical look. "I'm guessing that you _did _meet someone…but you don't look to happy," he stated observantly.

"Yeah I did, some arrogant, rude, cocky guy with silver hair," she seethed.

"Riku?"

Jasmine waved away the name as if it were a pest. "Whatever his name is, he knows who he is…anyway, I was sitting near my locker when school got out and I'm just texting, wait," Jasmine paused when Roxas didn't say anything. "Are you listening?"

Roxas nodded his head. "Yeah, I just didn't want to interrupt you, that's all."

'So he's a good listener too,' Jasmine mused to herself. 'I'm liking him a lot more.' And so she continued, "So he demands that I move and I ask him to move politely and he just acts like a jerk. He actually _pushed _me out of the way."

"Whoa," Roxas said in mild shock. "Then what happened?"

A sly smile crept its way onto Jasmine's face. "Oh, so then I picked up my stuff, walked by and kicked his locker shut."

It was then that Roxas broke out into a fit of infectious laughter that spread to Jasmine as well. She had to brace herself against his desk to keep from falling to the floor while Roxas' head dropped to the desk. "You really did that?" he asked between gasps.

"Sure did," Jasmine confirmed. "His face totally cracked!"

"Oh man that's priceless," Roxas said as he regained his breath. "I wish I was there."

At that exact moment, Riku walked in the classroom with a strawberry blond girl glued to his hip. He had an arm wrapped around her waist while she stared at him adoringly.

"Speak of the devil," Roxas muttered, still in smiles from Jasmine's story.

"I just knew it," Jasmine whispered as she stared at the couple. Riku's hair was slightly askew and the girl, whose make-up was smeared, seemed a little out of whack. "I can guess what they were doing…" 'Pretty typical,' her eyes scanned over the girl at his side, 'short, obviously dyed hair, heavy eye make-up—although the shadow thing looks good against her dark brown eyes—but what am I saying, I don't even know that girl,' Jasmine shook off the thought and suddenly felt very ashamed of herself.

But once the strawberry blond opened her mouth and cackled a laugh that reminded Jasmine of nails on a chalkboard connected to a loudspeaker. 'Holy crap, now that's _definitely _something…'

"See ya afterschool, babe," she said with a flirtatious grin, wrapping her arms around his torso.

"See you then." The girl stood on her toes and planted a kiss on his chin before skipping out of the classroom, appearing to be floating on cloud nine.

"His girlfriend must have serious patience," Jasmine stated as she watched her disappear down the hall.

"Or sprung," Roxas added.

Jasmine giggled before settling down into her desk. "I think that one works." She sat there with her agenda open and scribbled down a few notes while disconnecting herself with what going on around her. Jasmine could feel Riku's strong presence but kept her eyes glued to her work. She could feel his oceanic eyes piercing through her but remained cool and aloof. But in the back of her mind and in the pit of her stomach, Jasmine knew that she was in for a crazy day.

* * *

"Sora, why don't you try this?" A girl with shoulder-length maroon hair and bright indigo eyes pushed a bento box towards the brunette. "It's really good. My mom made it."

"Kairi," Sora said to her as the pair sat at a table in the school's restaurant/dining hall, "I don't want to take your lunch." He slid it back across the table to the redhead. "Eat," he told her.

Kairi picked up her fork, drove it into a sausage and stuffed it into Sora's mouth. "Just eat it."

As Sora chewed, his eyes widened and a smile was seen. "That is good!" He exclaimed.

"Thanks. It's some kind of Italian sausage. My mom picked it up shopping a couple of days ago."

"Well isn't that cute," The voice belonged to Tidus who was standing behind the duo with Riku at his side. "She's feeding him now," he said in a mocking voice.

"I told you they were going out," Riku drummed his fingers on the table in front of Sora. "I'm hurt. You get an adorable girlfriend and you don't tell me about it." He ran an index finger across one of the leaves in the centerpiece vase in between Kairi and Sora. "You too Kairi," he turned to the redhead and tilted her chin up. "We go all the way back to kindergarten. How could you?"

Kairi giggled as she watched the color shoot up Sora's cheeks.

"We aren't together!" he cried indignantly.

Tidus ruffled Sora's hair before gently punching him in the arm. "Who are you trying to convince? Us or yourself?"

Sora sat there awestruck while the immediate people in the area broke out into a fit of laughter. "Why are you guys laughing at me?"

"Because you're the one who gets yourself into these situations, that's why," Riku replied as he leaned against the ledge.

"Anyway, where's Alex?" Kairi asked after the laughter had completely died down.

Riku shrugged his shoulders. "I don't spend every waking moment with her. She has her friends and life, I have mine."

"Well," Tidus crossed his arms over his chest. "That's Riku for you; always keeping himself unattached, yet still has a girl under his wing." He punched Riku in the arm and grinned. "I envy you man. You could get any girl here without even trying."

Suddenly the doors to the dining hall swung open and Roxas, Naminé plus a very familiar new student entered. Riku's eyes narrowed at the sight of Jasmine but he did his best to keep himself composed. 'What the heck is she doing here?' he thought, irritation taking over and destroying his good mood.

"Who's that?" Tidus asked, staring at the newcomer with Roxas and Naminé.

"She must be a new student," Kairi answered. She then smiled and said, "hey, why don't we ask her to join us?"

Tidus poked his silver-haired friend in the chest. "She's cute…"

Riku swatted away the hand and rolled his eyes. "Then you take her."

Roxas and his group stood around Sora and Kairi's table. While Roxas and Naminé greeted everyone, Jasmine stood back and noticed the piercing stare Riku was giving her. However she did her best to pretend that he didn't exist, as hard as it is to not notice a tall, attractive pale high school junior with natural silver hair.

"Hey you guys," Naminé began slowly, pulling Jasmine gently towards the group. "This is Jasmine. She's new this year and is in the same class as Roxas."

"Nice to meet you all," She greeted politely.

"I'm Sora," the brunette said with a cheerful smile. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Kairi," the redhead turned around in her chair to face Jasmine.

"And that's Tidus with the blond hair," Naminé pointed to the blitzball player who smiled flirtatiously.

"What's up?" he asked. "How do you like it here?"

Jasmine shrugged her shoulders. "It's okay I guess. Big school, new city, a lot of homework, basic high school stuff."

"And that's Riku," Tidus pointed to his friend who stared past Jasmine. "He's usually not in such a bad mood."

Jasmine smirked and placed her hands on her hips. "Oh, I'm sorry about that." Sarcasm dripped from every word. "Did you have trouble with your locker yesterday? _So_ sorry about that."

"Nope," Riku finally looked Jasmine in the eye, "I just had problems with some new girl who doesn't know how to watch herself. That's all that is."

Tidus looked to Roxas with confusion. "Did I miss something? Have they met before?" Roxas simply stared at the pair in amusement and watched as the conversation went on.

"Then you might wanna check that attitude that's got you so screwed up," Jasmine advised. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have problems. Simple as that."

Roxas noticed the icy glare Riku was shooting towards Jasmine and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Okay, let's play nice you two. How about you guys just start over, is that alright?"

Riku gave Jasmine a quick once over and his expression softened. He ran a hand through his medium length hair and glided on over to Jasmine with a slight smirk on his face. He looked down at her, mostly because of his height, keeping his smirk intact. "As long as she apologizes."

Jasmine frowned and took a step back. "For what? If you didn't push me yesterday, I wouldn't have kicked your locker shut."

"If you would have moved, I wouldn't of had to do it myself."

Jasmine growled and did not back down. 'I've had it with this jerk…'. She got close to his face, locked eyes and said, "I don't care who you think you are, but you need to come back down to earth and get a reality check. If you weren't so rude, then of course I would have moved. But no, you had to go on and be a jerk."

"So you aren't going to apologize?" Riku asked, slightly startled by Jasmine's fierceness.

Hazel eyes blazing, fists balled and ready to go, Jasmine was finding it quite difficult to control herself. "What do you think genius?" She whipped around to face the table, who seemed to be enjoying the confrontation, and smiled politely. "It was nice meeting you all. I have to go to the office."

"Again?" Roxas asked curiously. "But you just came from the office."

"I know. But I have to have some classes changed again," she said ruefully. "It was nice meeting you all. See you later." Jasmine turned on her heel after waving goodbye.

"You aren't going to apologize?" Riku eyed her curiously as she walked by him.

"Don't talk to me," she snapped viciously. Once she disappeared behind the doors, Tidus clapped loudly and was near hysterics.

"I like that girl," he said through haggard breaths. "She's the only one who can stand up to Riku."

Sora and Kairi gave each other puzzled glances. "What did you do to her Riku?" Kairi asked. "She seemed pretty upset."

Riku simply stood there awestruck. Tidus was right. No one had ever talked to him like that. He had always commanded respect wherever he went and this girl easily went toe to toe with him. Riku had never seen such fire in a girl before and instead of being pissed off, which he would have been normally, he was quite intrigued.

"She's a pistol," was all Riku said before facing the group with an unreadable expression on his face. 'Definitely something to watch out for…'

* * *

"Riku, are you coming to my house on Friday?" a boy his age with blue-ish silver hair partially covering his eye asked as he leaned against the hood of his mustang with a short blond at his side.

"Maybe, I gotta see what my parents are doing," Riku replied, sitting in his silver Corvette. "Ienzo, what do you have planned?"

Ienzo ran his hand through the blond girl's short hair. "Just a kickback, nothing major," he explained. "My parents are out of town and left me the keys to everything."

And when Ienzo said "everything", a mischievous smile crept upon his face. Ienzo was known throughout the school as throwing the wildest parties and having the reputation to match. But because he managed to stay low key about his "extra-curricular activities", no one was able to bust him. And those who knew what went on found it wise to keep their mouths shut. Otherwise, _accidents _seem to follow those who threatened to expose him.

"Dude, don't you get tired of being hung-over every other Friday?" Riku asked jokingly. He then looked to the blond girl. "Hey Larxene, don't you get tired of your boyfriend always falling out at the parties?"

Larxene loosened Ienzo's collar and gave him a peck on the cheek. "He handles himself better than the other guys," she told Riku. "Besides, as long as he clears his head before we crash, it doesn't matter to me."

'Before we "crash",' Riku analyzed the double-meaning of the word and stared at Larxene. Much like her boyfriend, she had a reputation as well. Too-short skirts, propped open shirts and a manipulative, sadistic nature made her a very dangerous character. Plus she was extremely flirtatious and although Riku didn't believe most of the rumors that circulated around school, the ones about her and multiple guys she dated didn't seem too far-fetched once he truly got to know her. He didn't dislike Larxene as a person, she was just someone he hung out with on account of Ienzo.

"By the way Riku," Ienzo said as he wrapped an arm around Larxene's waist. "I heard you had a fight with one of the new kids today.

Riku cocked an eyebrow in mock surprise. 'Word travels fast around here,' he mused to himself. "Some junior who transferred into my homeroom," he replied, "she's tan, black hair, hazel eyes and wears glasses."

"Some nerd?" Larxene asked with a chuckle. "Why didn't you just tear into her and put the girl in her place?"

"It's not that big a deal, she's just…" And exiting the gates of the school as if on cue, twenty feet away from Ienzo, Larxene and himself, was Jasmine walking with her books in her arms. Ienzo followed Riku's gaze and nodded in understanding.

"That's her?" he asked, giving Jasmine a quick once over. Riku muttered a "yeah" while watching Jasmine disappear down the street. "She doesn't look like she'd give you trouble."

"She's got a mouth, I'll tell you that much," Riku chuckled.

"Call her over," Larxene insisted. "I wanna meet her."

Ienzo agreed. "I think that's a good idea. Hey, I should invite her to the party on Friday."

Riku didn't know Jasmine. In fact, she rather annoyed him with her insults, but even he didn't think she should be thrown into the party scene so quickly. "I doubt she knows how to party. She probably needs to go home and study."

"You don't know her that well," Ienzo stated. "Besides, I'm just being nice."

And even though Ienzo sounded innocent enough, Riku couldn't deny the chills that went up his spine as he said this. So Riku put the key in the ignition, started up the car and backed out of the parking spot. "Watch yourself Ienzo. Don't break her."

"You know I wouldn't do anything drastic. You don't know me at all Riku." He then waved before planting a kiss on Larxene's lips, not caring whether or not he was being watched.

Riku sped off down the street in the opposite direction of Jasmine. 'I know you,' he thought grimly, 'that's why I don't have a good feeling about this.'


	4. Chapter 4: Fortunes

**Author's Note: **woot! The inspiration is flowing :) I want to thank **Catalyna Cullen**, **Flowen**, and **Drifter Division **for the wonderful reviews. I'm glad you guys are giving me your input/opinions and are enjoying the story so far. It really makes me happy when people enjoy my stories :) I hope you enjoy this chapter and I promise to update quickly while I still have the will to write. Reviews, as usual, are welcome.

* * *

Jasmine spread a rich shade of purple across her long fingernails while relaxing on a lawn chair in Tifa's backyard under the beautiful, Saturday morning sun. She waved them in the wind and smiled as she closed the top.

"Now this is how to spend a Saturday; no tests, quizzes or class changes," Jasmine said before she plopped down against the back of the chair. 'Nothing to do, no one to avoid…' She mentally cringed as Riku's face popped into her brain. 'At least I'm free from him for two more days.'

At that moment, Tifa, dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a loose-fitting black t-shirt, stood on the patio. She tied her long, loose hair back into a low-hanging ponytail and leaned against the screen door. "You seem to be enjoying the day," she said observantly.

Jasmine's head bobbed up and down. "It's way better than the madness of high school."

"I bet," Tifa agreed. "I do miss high school though."

"Ugh," Jasmine grimaced. "I'm just trying to get _out. _Then I can really start living."

"Don't rush it," Tifa advised. "If you rush through things and experiences, you end up missing out on the good things. Once you do, you can never get them back."

Hearing Tifa's words only made Jasmine's smile bigger. Not only was Tifa an amazing god-mother, she was incredibly kind and wise for her young age. Most people could only see Tifa as maybe 21 or so, but time had been exceptionally kind to her and the 29 year old restaurant owner was blessed with youth and beauty. Plus her intelligence only made her that much more attractive.

"Perhaps, but it seems as though there's so little to do with so little time," Jasmine kicked her bare feet over the side of the chair and stood on the warm, soft grass.

"It only seems like that now because you have a lot to do. Things will get easier as the year goes on, just wait and see."

"…okay Aunt Tifa."

The brunette shook her head. "I told you to call me Tifa. I'm not that old," she gave Jasmine a rueful smile and reached into the pocket of her jeans. "I have to go to Seventh Heaven," Tifa said as she pulled out her keys. "I have to interview a couple of new waitresses."

"Oh, okay. Don't be too hard on them Tifa," Jasmine teased.

"I won't, I won't," Tifa stepped inside the house but did not shut the door. "You know that if you really want a job, you can just come ask me."

"Hmm, maybe when I don't have as much schoolwork," Jasmine stretched her arms and yawned. "I can't do anything until I get settled into my classes."

"So true; your parents will be proud when they hear how hard you're working. When was the last time you talked to them?"

"Just yesterday," she answered. "My father is busy as usual so we didn't actually talk. My mother is off with him being supportive."

There was a definite deadness to Jasmine's tone and Tifa felt a pang of sadness for the young 16 year old. "Well at least you guys are doing well all around. But by the way, would you do me a small favor?"

"Sure. What do you need?"

"Can you go to the bookstore and pick up those novels I ordered? I don't know if I'll have time; especially since I have to have a new waitress trained today in addition to the interviews."

Jasmine carefully slipped on her flip flops and pulled her yellow tank down more over her denim skinny jeans. "I'll leave right now."

"Thank you so much," Tifa held out a shiny, platinum piece of plastic and Jasmine walked over to take it. "Your mother sent this to me last night. She said to use it when you don't have cash on you."

The ebony-haired teenager simply nodded her head and pocketed the credit card. "I'll be back in an hour or so. Do you want me to come by Seventh Heaven when you're done?"

"That'd be great. I'll drive you home and we can watch _Taken._"

"Sweet; I love that movie. It cuts all the lame dialogue and gets right to the action."

Tifa laughed. "You really are one of those people who like to get straight to the point."

"It's the only way to get things done."

* * *

Jasmine walked away from the Starbucks counter with a caramel frap in one hand and set the strap of her tote bag filled with books on her shoulder. 'Tifa isn't done yet. Maybe I can kill an hour at the mall or something while I wait,' she thought as she walked in through the glass doors of an enormous, high end, indoor mall. Everything in this mall was designer owned and usually expensive. The wealthy and affluent of the Destiny Islands found their own escape here and for hours upon hours they could simply relax. When Jasmine walked in however, she felt slightly out of place amongst the inhabitants and searched for any store that looked familiar.

"Good God, this place is huge," she whispered in awe as she passed a gorgeous fountain. 'I could get lost in here no problem.' Jasmine adjusted the glasses on her face before slipping her mother's credit card into her tote pocket.

As Jasmine walked through the mall, she spotted several girls from school standing around in the food court area. Dressed from head to toe in designer this and that, it was quite obvious of the girls' background. So she picked up the pace and walked by the girls without making eye contact. Jasmine did feel their eyes on her as she passed by and suddenly wished that she could be invisible. 'It would be so much nicer if they were less conspicuous about staring…'

So she ducked into a nearby store and only upon nearly bumping into a CD stand did she realize that she was in a music store. "Okay," she said with a sigh, "I can handle a CD store…"

Jasmine killed a good amount of time browsing through the DVD collection as well as the manga they had a couple of rows in the back. 'What if life was like a good romance manga? A bit of madness, really hot nice guys and a happy ending…wouldn't that be the life?'

Jasmine turned around and headed for the pop section of music and stopped when she came to Lady Gaga's new CD, The Fame Monster. She picked up a copy and read the back, pleased to find that several of her favorite tracks were on it. Jasmine smiled to herself and held onto it, deciding to purchase it. As she walked up to the cashier, she paused and stared at a glass case with multiple locks on it. Jasmine stared and saw that the new Heartbeats headphones designed by Lady Gaga herself were on sale. She stepped closer to see how much they were and her jaw nearly unhinged.

'100 dollars for earphones?! Ok, so they're probably _really _good, but who the heck in their right mind pays that much for earphones?' Jasmine shook her head and tore herself away from the Heartbeats, only to run smack into someone's chest a second later.

"Oh my goodness," she said quickly. "I'm so sorry. I should have watched where I was—" Jasmine froze when she saw that the person she had run into was the exact person she was glad to have escaped from this weekend.

"One apology down," Riku said with a smirk, "one more to go."

Jasmine rolled her eyes and walked past Riku. "See you on Monday," she called back as she stood in line to purchase her CD. She was trying to forget about him by focusing on her new CD when he appeared at her side with his arms folded over his chest.

"Now don't you think you're being rude here?"

"Since when do you feel like talking to me?" she asked sharply. "If you're gonna ignore me at school, why bother talking to me here?"

Riku stood there in silence with sharp aquamarine eyes focused on the newcomer before him. 'Did I piss her off that badly?'

"Look," Riku began slowly, "I'll admit that I didn't need to push you that day." Jasmine cocked her head to the side to listen further. "And I won't ever do that again."

Jasmine's expression softened. "So are you apologizing?" Her tone was hopeful and perhaps now this conflict could be resolved.

"Who said I was gonna apologize?"

'Shot to pieces,' she grimaced before turning her attention back to the register. "Then what are you getting at? Because honestly, you're starting to get on my nerves again."

"I just said I won't do that again," Riku said tiredly. "Isn't that enough?"

The cashier rang up the CD for Jasmine and the young junior handed her 25 dollars. She told the woman to keep the change and she stormed out of the store as quickly as possible. Jasmine stopped when she reached the GameStop next door and shoved the CD into her bag. 'Oh yeah, I should've stayed at Starbucks…'

When Jasmine looked up, she found Riku standing right beside her once again. But this time, he seemed genuinely remorseful. "Look, can we just get past this? I don't necessarily enjoy making enemies from stupid things."

"If you would have just came out and said "I'm sorry for pushing you" then we wouldn't have a problem now."

"Why won't you let this die?" Riku asked tiredly.

Jasmine whipped around and stared him in the face. "Because your ego is way too big and saying sorry is obviously an issue for you, that's why."

"My ego is too big?!" Irritation now replaced Riku's feelings of remorse. "You just won't get on with life and move on."

Shock was Jasmine's initial reaction, but now she broke out into sarcastic laughter. "Because I am not just gonna do as you want and follow behind what you do, doesn't mean I can't move on. That's your problem. I don't know how you manage to get your way so often, but when people treat me badly over something stupid, I don't tend to just fall behind that person as soon as they want to be nice. It doesn't work that way."

After about a few, painfully long seconds, Riku stuck his hands in his pockets and sighed. "You're so difficult."

Jasmine's eyebrows twitched and she headed for the exit, deciding to just wait for Tifa at the restaurant. "And we obviously won't be getting along," she replied, sounding more tired than irritated.

* * *

"So you ran into that boy again?" Tifa asked as she and Jasmine sat on the couch, watching the opening previews of the movie.

"Afraid so," Jasmine said grimly. "He sounded like he was trying to be nice, but then he became a major jerk again."

Tifa grabbed a fortune cookie off the table. "Sounds like he's not used to someone telling him off."

Jasmine put a pillow behind her head and stared at the ceiling. "Just because he's popular and a blitzball player and hot—"

"So you think he's cute?" Tifa poked Jasmine in the stomach and the latter's face flushed crimson. "That explains some of the tension."

"What does that have to do with anything?! He's a royal pain. Besides he already has a girlfriend who probably worships the ground he walks on." Jasmine flipped on her stomach and watched a preview of a romantic comedy.

"You know Jasmine, just look at this with an open mind," Tifa began slowly. "If Riku tried to be nice earlier, then that means he's not totally heartless. Who knows? Maybe you guys will sort things out and become friends."

"Ha," she scoffed. "When pigs fly."

"Always expect the unexpected…" Tifa said wisely as she popped half the fortune cookie in her mouth.

A pregnant silence filled the air until the opening credits started. "Aunt Tifa…"

"Yes?"

"…stop reading those fortune cookies."


	5. Chapter 5: An Invitation

**Author's Note: **Not much to say here this time. Just wanted to start adding in some drama to the story. I wanted to thank the readers and my faithful reviewer **Catalyna Cullen**. I hope you guys like this chapter. Take care!

-skye

* * *

Jasmine stood in the mirror that Sunday morning, giving herself a once over after she had gotten ready. 'Not much to work with,' she thought sadly. 'But hey, I'm just hanging out with Roxas today. It's not like I'm going to the Grammy's or something.' She wore a pair of khaki shorts that reached her knees, a white spaghetti strap top and a royal purple vest that she left unbuttoned and tied in the back. It was pretty much what she wore on the weekends especially, to Jasmine's chagrin, because she didn't go out that much.

'Better just get downstairs,' Jasmine laced up her purple Converse, 'especially since Roxas said he'd pick me up in five minutes'. She ran her hands through her straight hair, adjusted her glasses and placed her black and green headphones around her neck as well as tossing her iPod and phone in her pocket.

"Jasmine," Tifa stood in the doorway, dressed casually in a pair of black sweats and a gray tank top. "Someone named Roxas is here."

The teenager nodded her head and called goodbye on her way out of her room. She ran down the stairs to find Roxas waiting at the bottom, dressed in a black band tee, dark blue jeans with a chain hanging from the belt loops and black and white Vans.

"Morning Jasmine," he greeted with a smile. "You look a lot different without the uniform."

"You too," she agreed. "Are you ready to go?"

Tifa stood at the top of the stairs and waved. "Don't forget to come by the restaurant later on!"

"I won't!" Jasmine closed the door behind her and Roxas, stepping out into the warm, morning sun. "It's never this nice in Twilight Town…" she mumbled to herself.

Roxas fished into his pockets for his keys, whipped them out and unlocked his dark blue Nissan Ultima. "That's the perks of living on a tropical island."

Jasmine stared at the brand new car with wide eyes. 'Does everyone here get to drive new cars?' Roxas opened the door for her and once they were both safely in, he backed out of the driveway and sped off down the street.

"You know," Roxas began cautiously, turning on the radio to fill in the emptiness, "Your mom is really young."

"Tifa?" Jasmine blinked in surprise. "That's not my mom. She's my god-mother/aunt. I just live with her."

Roxas laughed nervously. "Just wondering. You guys don't look alike and, umm…"

"She looks old enough to be my sister," Jasmine finished, giggling at the idea and Roxas' reaction. "Don't worry I get that a lot." She cleared her throat and turned to Roxas. "Where are we going anyway? You never told me."

"We're just going to hang out all over. I figured you'd want to know all the cool hang out spots of the island."

Jasmine drummed her fingers to the beat of the rock song that was playing on the radio, closing her eyes and bobbing her head as she did so. "Like where?"

Roxas turned the corner and was now in the main shopping district. "Maybe the beach, we can go past the amusement park, maybe the mall…"

Jasmine's nose scrunched up in mild irritation and Roxas caught onto this immediately. "I'm guessing the mall isn't a good place?"

"I was there yesterday," Jasmine began slowly, "ran into my best friend…"

It took Roxas a few seconds to realize who she was talking about and then he broke out into laughter. "What did Riku do this time?"

"He just got on my nerves. I thought for sure he was gonna apologize, but he went on and screwed that up." Jasmine rolled down the window, allowing the cool island air to enter the car. "I don't know what his problem is."

"Riku takes a little while to get used to," Roxas told her, smiling slightly at the thought. "He's really not a bad guy when you get to know him."

"Well, he can take that arrogance and stick it somewhere. Just because he's obviously popular, a jock, and ho—" Jasmine caught herself at this and hid her blush by turning her head to the side so that all Roxas could see was the back of her head. 'So he has a pretty decent body, handsome face, bizarre/ awesome hair, and gorgeous blue eyes…' She found her blush deepening and she cursed herself for allowing those thoughts about someone who disturbed her to affect her in such a way.

Roxas caught on to Jasmine's confliction but did not say anything about it. "Just don't let what Riku says or does get under your skin. You'll get used to him in and I bet you guys will start to get along soon."

"Yeah right," Jasmine scoffed. "You sound like Tifa."

* * *

"That dress looks great on you," Kairi said to Naminé as she spun around in a white, strapless, dress that bubbled at her knee. "You should definitely wear it for Homecoming."

"Totally," Selphie, a girl Kairi's age with shoulder-length chestnut hair and vibrant emerald green eyes agreed with a smile. She skipped over to Naminé, held onto her shoulders and grinned. "This dress was _made _for you."

A light blush spread to Naminé's face and she grabbed her elbow. "I don't really know," Naminé was hesitant and dropped her head. "I'm not sure it's me."

Selphie threw up her arms and pushed Naminé back into the dressing room at Caché. "Just take it off and pay for it. You look like a princess so no doubting yourself." As Naminé turned around to argue something, Selphie shut the door and ran over to Kairi who stood by the rack with blue dresses. "So, did Sora ask you to go to the Homecoming dance yet?"

It was Kairi's turn to blush. "No. We haven't even talked about it."

Selphie placed her hand over Kairi's and stared her in the eye. "What do you mean you haven't talked about it yet? The dance is in three weeks! You guys have to color-coordinate and everything. What's taking so long?"

Kairi tried to distract herself by placing a royal blue mini-dress up to her body. "It's not a big deal Selphie. You don't have to worry about me."

The brunette placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "Well of _course _I'm going to worry. You're my best friend! I should smack Sora's spiky head…" She tapped her foot impatiently against the tile floor.

"Uh Selphie, you don't have to do anything…" Kairi hastily set down the dress and linked arms with Selphie. "How about I promise to talk to him later on next week, okay?"

"Fine," Selphie blew out her bangs and walked towards Naminé who held the dress and her purse in her arms. "But if you don't get this settled, _I _will."

Knowing Selphie as well as she did, Kairi knew full well that Selphie's treat wasn't hollow. So she laughed nervously to try to relieve the stress and led her friend to the register with Naminé.

"By the way," Selphie said as she watched the cashier ring up Naminé's dress. "Did you guys go to Ienzo's party on Friday?"

Both Naminé and Kairi shook their heads. "My parents weren't okay with a party at Ienzo's house," Naminé explained. "And you know what happens at his parties."

"A bunch of drunks getting smashed and people hooking up," Selphie added. "I'm all for having fun."

"So you were there?" Kairi asked curiously.

"Yeah, I didn't see you guys though," Selphie continued. "But I don't know if I'll be going back. There was some freaky stuff going on…"

"Was Riku at least with you?" Naminé took the shopping bag from the cashier and the trio exited the store.

Selphie nodded her head. "Yeah, that's the main reason why I went. He's the only person I actually hung out with that went. I wasn't going by myself. Well I knew Larxene—but I don't hang out with her. Besides, she was busy with Ienzo and some other guy I don't know."

Kairi and Naminé cringed together and shook the image out of their heads. "I don't even want you to finish that," the blond said grimly.

"But onto more exciting things!" Kairi changed the subject and dragged the girls into an accessory store. "Are we gonna ride together for Homecoming? What's the theme this year?"

"The theme is _A Night in Paris_," Selphie announced. "It's so romantic."

"Do you think anyone's gonna get together this year? It always happens," Naminé eyed a pair of yellow gold tear-drop earrings.

"Anything can happen," Selphie picked up a silver locket, "Just you wait and see."

* * *

"You're into Nightwish too?" Roxas asked as he and Jasmine sorted through the Virgin Records music store.

Jasmine, who was holding the _Once _CD in hand smiled. "They're pretty awesome. I didn't think I'd like the new lead singer though. Tarja was what got me hooked on the band. But a few of the tracks off their new album is good too."

Roxas smile in approval and went through a few more CDs. "But what do you usually listen to?"

"Pretty much anything I can party to," she replied, adjusting her headphones hanging around her neck.

"You like to party?" a blond eyebrow went up in intrigue and he followed as Jasmine moved to the Pop section. "Honestly Jasmine, I can't really see you as the type to party and stuff."

The hazel-eyed youth sighed heavily. "I don't get to go out that much," she half-heartedly flipped through the CDs. "I have too much schoolwork to do anything. It's just wake up, go to school, work, go home, work and then sleep," she explained. "Not much room for hanging out."

"So I'm guessing you don't date either," Roxas summed up.

'Date?' Jasmine's face turned a light shade of pink. "That's not really for me at this time."

Roxas scratched his head and looked away awkwardly, wondering if he said something to cause Jasmine's tone to change so drastically. 'Maybe I struck a chord,' he thought, trying desperately to change or lighten the subject. "But do you think you'll be able to at least go to Homecoming?"

"Homecoming?"

"Yeah, you know at the beginning of the school year when everyone comes "Home" in a way?"

Jasmine shook her head. "I doubt it."

"You should go," Roxas insisted. "It's a lot of fun. The food is pretty good, the DJ plays the good stuff, all of that."

Silence followed on Jasmine's end of the conversation. "It does sound like fun…" Yet her tone didn't reflect her words.

"Just give it some thought," Roxas placed a hand on Jasmine's shoulder. "Naminé and I would love it if you came."

'It's not really my decision…' Jasmine thought darkly.


	6. Chapter 6: Set the Stage

**Author's Note: **Okay, so now that everything has been set up, I can add all the madness into the story. hehe :) so this chapter isn't very long, but the next few will most definitely be. Thanks again, as always, to **Catalyna Cullen **for her review and for everyone who has been reading and adding this story to their favoirites. Take care and enjoy!

-skye

* * *

Riku sat on a bench during break time, leaning against the wall behind him with his earphones plugged in. He folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes, allowing the music from Taió Cruz to invade his every thought and distance himself from the world.

'I've got a lot of work to catch up on,' he thought as he tapped his fingers against his forearms. 'I shouldn't have gone over Alex's house last night…'

Riku tenderly rubbed his shoulder, concealed by his long sleeved uniform shirt and frowned. 'Should of known she'd of gotten too wild again…'

Suddenly, he felt a weight on his lap but the familiar scent of vanilla and honey kept him from freaking out. Riku wrapped an arm around the waist of the scent's owner and pulled her closer. "What are you doing here Alex? I thought you had to make up a test."

Alex flipped her hair over her shoulder and planted a sweet kiss on Riku's lips. "But I wanted to see you. Is that so wrong?"

"No," he admitted, now smiling. "But you know that you're failing English," he brushed his lips against hers, "so I think it would be best if you went and took that test."

The strawberry blond scoffed and curled her body closer to his. "Nah, I think I'll let this one go. Besides, it's not like I'm gonna pass anyway. I haven't done good in that class all year."

A silver eyebrow shot up. "But you have the easiest teacher on campus…"

"Oh so what?" she argued. "You're not my dad."

Riku mentally rolled his eyes but kept a smile on his face. "Thank God for that." He tangled his hand in Alex's hair and pulled her in for a kiss when a familiar ebony haired junior passed by, catching his eye. Before Alex could follow his stare, he turned his attention back to her. 'Doesn't Jasmine ever stay out of my sight for more than a day?'

"Are you okay?" Alex asked, her eyes reflecting confusion.

"Huh? Me? Oh yeah…" Riku shook his head clear of all thoughts of Jasmine and focused on the girl in front of him. "Are you ready for Homecoming?"

A wide grin from ear to ear appeared on Alex's face. "Yeah," she answered cheerfully, "I got my dress and shoes a couple of days ago. I can't wait."

"Is all this dressing up for me?" Riku asked with a smirk present.

"If you like it, then that's a bonus," Alex replied slyly, stealing his lips again. "But I like looking hot anyway."

"I'll be picking you up around 7 o'clock," Riku told her, reaching into his binder and holding up the colorful Homecoming tickets. "You'd better be ready when I get there."

"Don't worry about me; you're the one who'd better be ready." Riku sensed the second meaning in her words and replied simply by pulling her closer.

* * *

"Jasmine," Naminé said to the newcomer as they sat in the dining hall with Roxas faithfully at her side, "the dance is this Friday. You should go."

Jasmine took a bite out of her homemade fruit salad and shook her head. "No thanks Naminé. I appreciate you guys wanting me to come along. But I don't really feel like going."

Naminé turned to her brother for help, pleading for it with her expressive blue eyes. "Is it because you have too much work?"

Sora, Kairi and Tidus came up to the table suddenly curious as to what the dining trio were talking about. "You're not going to the Homecoming Dance?" Sora asked kindly.

Jasmine shook her head. Tidus placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and smiled. "I'll take you."

Kairi turned to the blond and slapped his arm. "You're taking Selphie," she reminded him.

"Oh yeah," Tidus rubbed the spot that Kairi had smacked. "But showing up with two dates would definitely out-do Riku by a long shot."

"Can we not talk about him?" Jasmine placed the lid back on her contained and shut her eyes. "It'll ruin my appetite."

"Ouch," Sora winced at the remark. "What did he do this time?"

"Just being the same, irritating pain-in-the-butt he always is," she replied. "Nothing new; I just have too much going on to be worried about a school dance."

"I doubt you could."

Jasmine's ears perked up, but her expression remained unchanged. She already knew who had insulted her and there was no need to even give him the courtesy of eye contact. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Riku appeared next to Sora with a smug expression on my face. "Technically, since these were my friends and I've been at this school longer than you, you have no authority to tell me where I can or can't go."

"I'm not in the mood, Riku," Jasmine warned.

"Huh," Riku snickered. "Are you sure you don't think you can handle it? You know, a real party?"

Tidus took a seat next to Naminé and leaned back. "Let the games begin!"

"You don't know what I do, so it's pointless for you to try to analyze me," Jasmine replied, totally unaffected by Riku's words. She looked at Naminé and Roxas who merely stared on in amusement and realized that she was on her own. "And by _real _party, what do you mean? The kind _you _probably go to where people get wasted and start hooking up with each other? No thanks, I can do without."

"Or is it that you can't dance and want to embarrass yourself? If that's the case then I understand. I mean, I wouldn't want to make a fool out of myself in front of the school."

A vein pulsated in Jasmine's neck. "And what kind of dancing do you do? There's a difference between a guy that can dance, and one who just lets some random chick grind on him," she angled her glasses down so she could look him in the eye properly. "I can guess that you're the second one."

"Yikes," Tidus elbowed Roxas, "this is the best fight I've seen in a while. My money's on Riku."

Roxas playfully shoved Tidus away. "Just watch," he advised.

"Or is it because you can't get a date?"

Riku's words struck a chord in Jasmine and now she had a mild blush rushing to her cheeks. The silver-haired teen took full advantage of this and broke into laughter. "I knew it. If you would've fixed that attitude, you might pass for acceptable."

'This jerk, oh he's gonna suffer if I can get my hands around his pale neck…' Jasmine planned out his murder to the letter and rose from her seat. However, as she opened her mouth to say something, someone cut her off.

"Then why am I taking her to the Homecoming dance?" Roxas threw a smirk at Riku and rested his chin in his hand.

The whole group turned their heads to Roxas and stared at him incredulously while Jasmine struggled to move at all. Even Riku was dumbstruck and surprise took over.

"Are you serious?" That's all Riku could manage at the time.

Roxas nodded his head and Naminé smiled in satisfaction. "That's right," Roxas said. "I took her out this weekend and we decided to go together."

Sora turned to Kairi and laughed. "I guess that ends that argument."

"I'll say," she agreed, stifling a giggle for the sake of her friend.

Tidus held out his hand and gave Roxas a high-five. "Well done, buddy."

Riku collected himself but shock was still present in his attitude. "Good luck with _that,_" he pointed to Jasmine who was still frozen in place. "I hope you have fun taking the biggest nerd to the school dance." With that, Riku turned on his heel with Sora and Kairi at his side, who still chuckled behind him as they left the dining hall.

"Roxas," Jasmine said finally, "What did you get me into?"

* * *

"You're going to that dance?" Tifa asked as she stood in the kitchen chopping up an onion. "I thought you didn't want to go because you have some work to do…"

Jasmine, who was seasoning a roast, sighed heavily. "Apparently I'm going out with my friend Roxas."

Tifa set down the knife and leaned against the counter. "That cute blond who took you out? He seems nice."

"He's gonna fry," Jasmine's shoulders slumped. "He already bought my ticket and everything. I didn't really have a choice in the matter."

"Hmm," Tifa's lips pursed and she cocked her head to the side. "Does he like you or something?"

Jasmine screwed the top back on the garlic salt and sat on the stool next to her. "I really don't know what's going on Tifa. It's like, all I wanted, was to come to the school, study, and get to college. I didn't sign up for a school dance."

Tifa walked over to Jasmine and placed her hands on her god-daughter's shoulders. "Just try to have some fun with it Jasmine. If all you do is study, then you won't actually have fun. Trust me, when you get older, you won't have the kind of freedom you have now. So don't look at this as a punishment or something, look at it as a way to loosen up."

"If Riku didn't piss me off so much and was threatening to embarrass me, none of this would've happened," Jasmine growled. "Now I have to go dress shopping, shoe shopping and all that when I could be studying. What a waste of my time."

"It sounds to me like this boy is getting in your head. If he's messing around and irritating you," Tifa tapped her nose, "just beat him at his own game. It won't hurt anyone."

'What kind of game is this?' Jasmine thought tiredly.

"Jasmine, you're a pretty girl," Tifa began. "You're quiet on the outside, but we both know the _real _you. You're full of energy and mischievous." Before Jasmine could interrupt, Tifa put up her hand. "Don't deny it. You could do some damage to this boy if you really wanted to."

Jasmine went into deep thought. 'Does she mean take down Riku? That would be fun. Especially since he causes so many problems for me; maybe after that I could get some peace of mind.'

"Just be careful," Tifa advised. "Getting too wrapped up in whatever you decide to do is dangerous. It's all fun until someone gets hurt."

"So are you giving me permission to do what I want and totally mess with this guy?" Jasmine asked with a Cheshire cat grin spreading from ear to ear.

Tifa smiled and went back to her cooking. "I'm not saying anything, but to have fun and be careful."

'Then let the games begin.'


	7. Chapter 7: Royal Blue

**Authors Note: **Whew another chapter! This one took me a while to get down. I hope you guys like it. I wanna thank all the readers and my reviewers **Flowen**( you're so positive and I appreciate everything) **, Kanika Meskhenet**(I'm glad you liked this story and my other ones) **, and Catalyna Cullen **(I hope your really like this chapter, and yeah, Tifa is gonna be that wise, yet playful guardian). You guys are amazing and I'm gonna give you all Pocky!!!! I hope you like this chapter and reviews are welcome. See ya!

-skye

* * *

"Jasmine, don't struggle," Naminé tugged the hazel-eyed youth into the store, using full force. "We have to do this."

Jasmine grimaced and stared at the shop as if she were staring at the grim reaper. "How about I pretend I'm sick? I mean, I can find a way to land myself into the hospital."

The blond rolled her eyes and gave Jasmine a good yank. Naminé placed her hands on her hips and tapped her foot impatiently against the glistening, white tile floor. "Jasmine, are you really gonna stand up Roxas? How could you even think of it?"

Instantly, Jasmine was wracked with guilt and her shoulders slumped in defeat. Truth be told, she hadn't even thought of Roxas. "Okay Naminé, I get it."

Naminé adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder and smiled in satisfaction. "Good," she reached into her wallet and pulled out a shiny, platinum credit card. "Now we have some work to do. We have to get your dress, shoes and a cute clutch purse."

"Hold on, you are _not _buying my dress," Jasmine folded her arms across her chest and stared defiantly at Naminé.

"Well, since Roxas asked you out," Naminé led her to the back of the store and went through the dresses, "he figured it would be his responsibility to pay for everything."

'What a gentleman…' Jasmine thought grimly. She looked at her watch. Naminé had kidnapped her directly afterschool, so she hadn't even had a chance to even change her clothes or start her homework. "What colors am I supposed to be wearing?"

Naminé looked over her shoulder and gave Jasmine a quick once over. "Roxas gave me free reign to pick whatever. He just said "make sure she stands out" and that's it."

Jasmine wracked her brain for days to try to figure out why Roxas had proposed such an idea. Yet, nothing came to mind. Plus Roxas had made himself scarce so there was no real opportunity to ask him why he asked, well, _told _Jasmine that she was his date.

"Naminé, does Roxas have something against Riku?" Jasmine asked weakly as she fingered the price tag of an electric orange cocktail dress on her right.

"Why would you say that?" Naminé held up a strapless red party dress and wrinkled her nose, stating that it was too plain.

The dark-haired teen rocked back and forth on her heels with a sheepish look on her face. "I mean, he just randomly claimed me. Most guys don't do all this for a girl they just met."

Naminé smiled, leafing through the dresses on another nearby rack. "You think that he did this to get back at Riku, right?" Jasmine nodded her head. "It's not like that at all. They're good friends, they don't fight. Roxas is probably trying to get you to have a good time, not much to it. Besides," she picked up several gowns and draped them over her arm and pulled Jasmine to the dressing room, "I know Riku would lose his mind if he saw you looking like a model at Homecoming."

She placed the gowns in Jasmine's arm and gave her a slight push inside an available dressing room. "Just have fun with it. And hurry up, we need to hit the shoe stores and accessory shop before it gets late."

"But Nam—" The door was shut faster than Jasmine could get her name out and her voice disappeared under the music blasting through the speakers.

* * *

"Roxas," Riku said slowly as he downed the contents of his water bottle, "what were you thinking? Inviting the school nerd to one of the biggest dances of the year was not a smart move on your part."

Their group sat in Riku's enormous living room, playing videogames on the PS3 system. Sora and Tidus were on the floor playing a racing game while Roxas and Riku sat on the sofa watching the two.

"Since when were you this shallow?" Roxas shot, sounding quite disinterested.

"I'm not shallow," Riku argued. "I don't like that girl, end of story."

Roxas pulled out his cell phone and began texting away. "Why? Jasmine is nice. You two just bump heads."

Sora looked up from his game. "She's actually pretty chill. A little high-strung sometimes but I like her."

Tidus' character raced past Sora's and he cheered. "Watch the game dude! I'm lapping you."

Sora returned his attention to the game and elbowed Tidus in the ribs.

"I think she's cute," Tidus stated as he focused on the race. "And she has spark."

Riku glared at the blond and threw a pillow at his head, making the shot and knocking the controller out of his hands. "I was just saying!"

Riku rolled his eyes and leaned back. "Are you texting Naminé?" he asked.

"Yeah," Roxas replied, slipping the phone back into his pocket. "But Jasmine is my friend. I can invite her out if I want to. It shouldn't matter if I did or not. Why do you care so much?"

Riku remained quiet and reached for his cell phone that sat on the coffee table. "It's Alex again…"

"You don't sound too happy," Tidus noted while staring at the television screen.

"She just seems too clingy," Riku told the group. "I didn't sign up for all this when I got together with her."

"So now you're claiming her?" Roxas quipped. "I thought it was just a one-sided thing."

"I also heard some things that aren't settling well with me," the silver haired teen and switched off his phone. "Shuyin told me that she dates around a lot."

Sora's eyebrow went up in intrigue. "Don't you go out with a lot of girls?"

"That's different."

"No, it's a double standard," Roxas answered another text message and smiled to himself. "When you really think about it, you went out with a lot of girls."

Riku dismissively waved the statement off. "But I hear some serious rumors about Alex that are a little wild."

"Like what?" the dirty blond asked curiously.

"She and Ienzo used to go out," he told them all. "It was supposedly a fling, but I don't know how far they went."

"And you believe rumors?"

"It's not a rumor, I heard Larxene talking to her about it recently."

Tidus chuckled and cracked his knuckles. "Oh man! So you were making out with the same girl Ienzo was all over? I feel bad for you!"

Riku hurled another pillow at Tidus' head but this time, he missed. "Oh shut up. I wouldn't have dated her if I knew that."

"Let's change the subject," Tidus paused the game and tossed both pillows back on the couch. "Have you guys checked out the location? It's pretty awesome."

"Isn't it in that nightclub?" Sora asked.

"Yeah; I can't wait!" Tidus cheered.

"It should be interesting," Roxas whispered to himself smugly.

* * *

Kairi and Sora came from the photographer's area and walked over to a booth in the nightclub where their friends were sitting. Kairi looked great in a short, hot pink halter dress that flared out and Sora complemented her by wearing a black suit with a matching vest.

"Kairi, why are you pulling me?" Sora asked as the redhead dragged him through the dance floor to meet their friends. "You're gonna yank my arm off."

She laughed at this and tightened her grip on his wrist. "Because I'd lose you in this mess. I didn't think there would be so many people out dancing. Usually," she started shouting once she was near the speakers, "there are only a few people on the floor and but tonight everyone is having a good time."

"Everyone is what?" Sora yelled over the music.

Kairi shook her head and dragged him to the booth. "Are you guys having fun?"

Tidus and Selphie held up their glasses. "I don't think Homecoming has ever been this fun!" Selphie cheered.

"Hell yeah!" Tidus set his glass on the table. "I don't think I wanna go home!"

Sora looked around the table. "Where's Riku?"

Tidus pointed to a more secluded part of the area and sure enough, that's where Riku was. He was sitting on a lounge chair while Alex, who was dressed in a skin-tight, leopard halter dress, gave him a lap dance where he sat.

Sora's eyebrow shot up and Kairi looked away. "I see," the brunette said while tugging the collar of his shirt.

"I'm scared her dress is gonna rise up," Selphie said as she eyed the strawberry blond. "Talk about giving everyone a show…"

At that moment, Ienzo came up to Riku and Alex. He whispered something to Riku and led Alex away to the dance floor. Riku made his way over to the group and slid in next to Selphie.

"I bet you had fun," Selphie finished her Shirley temple.

Riku shrugged his shoulders and took off his coat. "Eh, its whatever. Where's Roxas and the creature?" He spotted Naminé near the bar talking to a couple of girls on the cheer team. "I haven't seen him all night."

"They're not here yet," Sora answered. "I just got a text from him ten minutes ago."

Naminé left her friends at the bar and walked on over to the table. "You look great Naminé," Tidus said politely. She blushed at the complement and held her hands behind her back.

"You guys look great too," she replied shyly.

"Hey, where's your twin?" Riku asked.

"Excited to see Jasmine?" Naminé set her clutch purse on the table.

Riku scrunched up his nose. "To see if she can look like a normal human? Yeah, but that's about it."

"You're so mean to her," Kairi punched him in the arm. "Be nice, will you?"

"I'm not gonna do anything to her," Riku brushed his hair back over his shoulders. "I'm not heartless."

All heads at the table turned to the main entrance. Several couples on the dance floor stopped dancing, staring in the same direction as Sora and the group. A couple descended the stairs with the man escorting the young lady down. As soon as the crowd cleared, everyone who sat at the table's eyes lit up in surprise accompanied by a few dropped jaws.

"Whoa," Tidus breathed. "Roxas is the luckiest dude in the club…."

Roxas, dressed in a black suit with a royal blue vest smiled as he led a reluctant, blushing Jasmine through the room. While he looked great, Jasmine seemed to steal the show. The studious junior wore a royal blue, one shoulder dress with a stylish ruffle over it that went a few inches above her knee. The dress was fitted, showing off her figure and she towered above the girls in a pair of royal blue, platform heels with a ribbon tied into a neat bow at her ankle. Her hair (no longer tied back as she usually had it) was wavy and her eye make-up, a blue and silver smoky eye, made her hazel orbs pop.

Roxas held onto her hand and spotted the table before whispering in her ear. Jasmine smiled at whatever it was he said and laced her fingers with his.

"You look like a model," Selphie jumped up from the table and embraced Jasmine.

"Jasmine," Kairi played with Jasmine's hair. "Don't wear your hair up anymore," she told her.

Jasmine's face flushed crimson and she looked to Roxas for support.

"I'm gonna be honest," Tidus began slowly, gawking at her, "you look sexy."

Roxas protectively wrapped an arm around Jasmine's waist. "She's my date, watch it."

"What?" Tidus held up his arm defensively. "I'm just stating the obvious."

Roxas then noticed the blank stare on Riku's face and pulled Jasmine closer to him. "It's not polite to ignore such a beautiful lady," he said with a smirk. "Don't be a jerk."

"Hello Jasmine," Riku's voice was almost robotic.

Jasmine simply waved and immediately turned her attention to Roxas. "You were right, I'm glad I came."

Roxas shrugged out of his jacket and threw it Riku's way. "Good. Now come on. Let's dance." He led her away from the table by the hand. Jasmine looked over her shoulder and threw a smirk Riku's way before meeting Roxas' eyes.

When the couple disappeared from sight, Tidus crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the dumb-founded silver-haired teen. "You wanted to pick a fight with _that_? I feel sorry for you man. Smart _and _sexy? That's a dangerous combination."

Riku couldn't even make a joke out of this. He couldn't deny that Jasmine looked incredible. Hidden under the uniform she wore, was a body belonging on a runway. She had curves in all the right places, nice hair, and gorgeous eyes. In addition to that as Tidus said, she was highly intelligent. Riku was strongly attracted to her in a way that he didn't expect.

'Smart and sexy huh? I gotta be careful,' Riku thought as he tossed Roxas' coat to the side. 'That _is _a dangerous combination.'


	8. Chapter 8: Just for Kicks

**Author's Note: **Wow, I can't believe all the response I've gotten from this story! You guys really make me feel like I'm doing a good job :) I appreciate all the reads, favs and reviews. I wanna thank **animechick247** (I'm glad you're really getting into the story), **Catalyna Cullen **(Woot! Pocky is friggin awesome, enjoy :) and thanks for the review), and **Kanika Meskhenet **(as usual you always take out the time to tell me what you think :D so thank you kindly). Plus all the hits and adds to the favorites lists haven't been overlooked. Favs and Alerts people get plushies!!! Lol I don't know how to upgrade from Pocky so lets just give everyone a little of everything! Sorry for the hyperness I'm in a _really _good mood today. Anywho, enjoy the chapter and reviews are welcome!

-skye

* * *

Jasmine yawned, her mouth stretching to its limits while walking along the boardwalk early the Sunday morning after Homecoming. As if the spell of a fairy god-mother wore off, Jasmine had gone back to her normal self. No longer dressed like the belle of the ball, she wore a pair of blue basketball jeans, a loose-fitting white t-shirt and flip flops with her hair tied up and a messy bun. Her glasses rested on the tip of her nose with her headphones hanging loosely around her neck.

'Should have stayed home,' Jasmine thought as she went through the list of homework she had due on Monday. 'Not saying Homecoming wasn't fun, I just wish there wasn't so much work to do.'

Her heels ached as she walked and she winced while stepping over a broken board. 'Roxas just _had _to have me dancing _all _night. I'm shocked,' she placed her hands behind her head, 'I didn't think he could dance so well.'

A phone vibrated noisily in the pocket of her shorts. She carelessly reached inside and answered her cell, not even bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

A chuckle came from the other end. "Did you have fun Cinderella?"

"Hey Roxas," Jasmine leaned against one of the wooden beams, watching the beach go-ers walk by. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," he replied. There was some shifting around in the background and Jasmine guessed that he was on a sofa or something trying to get comfortable. "Just recuperating from the dance; you?"

"Taking a walk along the beach," she answered while staring into the clear sky up above. "And to answer your question yes, I had fun."

"Good. I think Tidus wants to ask you out now," Roxas teased.

Jasmine cocked an ebony eyebrow. "How do you figure that?"

"It was pretty obvious. He couldn't stop staring at you."

Jasmine waved the statement off nonchalantly. "So what? I was in a dress. Most people are stunned when they see a person out of character. Easy as that," she concluded matter-of-factly.

There was a slight pause on Roxas' end. "Jasmine," he began slowly, sounding mildly irritated, "you looked _amazing._ Tidus always thought you were cool. At Homecoming you just stunned him in a way. I guess he just found all the initiative to finally say something."

Jasmine's face was grim. "Is he gonna do something next week?"

"I really don't know. If it happens, it happens. I'm guessing that you're gonna say no anyway."

"Roxas," Jasmine rubbed her eyes tiredly. "The _last _thing I need right now is a relationship."

"Why? Too busy?"

Jasmine's arm dropped to her side and hung there. "I just _can't_, okay?"

Roxas' voice showed concern. "Okay, I'll drop it for another day. But," the smirk was practically audible, "your best friend was rather impressed with you."

"Best friend?"

"Silver hair, does it ring a bell?"

Jasmine pushed her glasses further up on her face. "Why would Riku care? He was too busy getting lap dances from his girlfriend. He wasn't paying any attention to me."

"Are you sure about that? _I _had you the whole night and I swear he couldn't stop staring. I think he finds you _acceptable _now that he's seen you at a social thing."

"So we proved him wrong? Is that what you're getting at?" Jasmine was hoping that maybe from the results at Homecoming, Riku would shut up and leave her alone for a while.

Roxas laughed on the other end. "Are you kidding? He would have dumped Alex for you in a heartbeat. Yes, we proved him wrong."

A smile of satisfaction painted Jasmine's face. "Good. Now maybe I'll get some peace and quiet."

And yet, in the back of Jasmine's mind after she said this, she knew good and well that peace and quiet wouldn't come so easily.

* * *

"I hope you all finished the reading from last night," the English professor said to his students. They all looked at each other in confusion and guilt, knowing full well that they hadn't done the assigned reading of _Lord of the Flies. _The teacher sighed heavily and tapped his fingers against the side of his podium.

"I'm gonna take that as a no," he said finally. "Well, regardless, I'm going to pass out your latest assignment." He passed out several packets to each row, expecting his pupils to pass them back. "It's a set of character analogies and essay questions that are due on Friday, so you should all have plenty of time to get it done."

Jasmine smiled when she received her packet. 'Thank god I read this book a year ago…' But when she saw the amount of work, her pleasant expression quickly faded away. 'Leave it to my AP English teacher to put a dent in my plans.'

"But I'm not going to have you guys do this alone. It would take _way _too much time," the teacher walked over to his desk and picked up a clipboard. "So I'll be pairing you off with another student so that you can get this done faster. I expect for each pairing to answer one of the essay questions to the class on Friday so that way I know it got done."

'Too bad I don't have Roxas in my class,' Jasmine sulked a bit and looked around the class. Since she had been put into this new class period, she didn't know anyone. Most of the students gave her a wide berth anyway for being the new girl and she was totally isolated. Jasmine peeked over her shoulder inconspicuously before returning her attention towards the professor. 'Well, I know _him…_'

Riku sat all the way in the back of the class, jotting something down in his composition book, seemingly unaware of what was going on around him.

"So listen up for your names as I call them out. As soon as I'm done, I want you and your partner to move to a section of the classroom to begin the assignment. We'll be doing this for the next few days so be productive."

As the English teacher droned on, Jasmine half-heartedly listened for her name while flipping through her daily planner. 'I wonder if Tifa is going to be cooking tonight. Maybe some angel hair pasta and chicken,' her mouth began to water at the thought. Being the god-daughter of one of the most successful restaurant owners on the island has its definite perks. 'Oh, and some lemon drizzle cake as well. I'm gonna gain so much weight living with Tifa…'

"Riku and Jasmine," the teacher announced.

It was if she had been smacked in the head with a basketball. Jasmine's head shot up and she eyed her instructor incredulously, pleading with wide eyes to change the partnering.

"And there can be no changes." The teacher sat in his revolving leather chair at his desk. "Now get to work."

A tap on the shoulder interrupted Jasmine from her thoughts. As students and chairs were being moved, Riku stood above Jasmine with a blank expression on his face. "Are you coming or what?"

"Would it _kill _you to not be rude to me for one day?" Jasmine snapped.

Instead of giving her an answer, Riku dropped his binder on the desk besides Jasmine and scooted it closer to hers. "Listen, I don't really feel like taking the whole week on this."

Riku sounded as if he were serious about his work. So Jasmine leaned back and listened to him. "Okay, so…?"

"So, I propose that we do some of this at my house tomorrow. I don't necessarily enjoy dragging things out any longer than they have to be."

Jasmine gave a sarcastic smile. "So you already _know _that I don't feel like working with you? Good job, Riku. The sooner we get done with this the better."

It was then that Riku's stare softened slightly. "I don't know why you hate me so much."

To keep the professor from getting on their case, Jasmine scooted closer to Riku and whispered. "When you've made it _painfully _clear that you don't like me, I don't see why you're so shocked when I treat you the same way."

"I haven't done anything to really mess with you," Riku said quietly, tapping his pencil against the desk.

"Oh please, you've been on my case since the day I got here. And to be honest, it's pretty friggin' immature to talk about a girl or anyone. It just makes you look like an idiot."

Riku fell silent for a moment and leaned back in his seat, analyzing everything that Jasmine said. Deep inside, after he said all those things, Riku didn't feel right on the inside. It was just something about Jasmine that made him want to retaliate.

"I'll work with you for the sake of my grade, but if I get _any _crap from you," Jasmine warned, "I'll make your life miserable."

"Are you cocky, or just crazy?" Riku asked, sounding more amused at the threat than anything.

She slammed her notebook shut and glared at Riku. "Neither Rich Boy," she hissed. "Did you even read the book?"

"What do you think?" he asked sarcastically.

"If I knew that, then I wouldn't be asking!" Jasmine half-yelled.

As if time were on her side, the bell for the next class rang and Jasmine gathered her belongings. She dashed out the door without even giving Riku so much as a "goodbye" leaving him behind. He stared after the girl with a strange expression on his face, long after she had gone. Riku stood up and walked out of the classroom, looking around to see if Jasmine was nearby but she was nowhere to be found.

'Did I really hurt her that much?'

* * *

"Riku broke up with you?" Larxene asked as she sat in the back of Ienzo's Mustang.

Alex reached into her purse and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Last night," she replied bitterly. Alex placed a cigarette in her mouth before turning to Larxene. "Do you have a lighter?"

Larxene produced a pink lighter and handed it to Alex. "I mean, what happened? I thought you guys were fine. What did he tell you?"

After Alex lit the cigarette, she inhaled deeply. "He said he found out about Ienzo and me. He also said that I was too clingy."

"Well you know how Riku is," Larxene pocketed her lighter before leaning back in her seat. "He's always floating around from girl to girl. Did you sleep with him?"

Alex frowned and crossed her legs.

"So that's a no," Larxene concluded. "Too bad."

"I mean, I thought we were going somewhere," Alex droned on, blowing out smoke as she spoke. "He seemed to like me. I mean, on Homecoming, I was waiting for him to do something special like plan a romantic evening for us and then, he just went brain dead the rest of the night."

Larxene seemed skeptical about this. "What makes you think he wanted to hook up?"

Alex shrugged her shoulders. "I kind of had a feeling…"

"Like the feeling you had when your parents were gonna give you that Jaguar for your birthday?" Larxene's tone was mocking, but Alex was unable to catch a hint of it.

"Yeah! Exactly."

"When you total your father's Mercedes trying to sneak off to a party, what makes you think you're gonna get a car of your own?" Larxene laughed at this, scooting closer to Alex as she did so. She tilted the strawberry blond girl's chin up. "C'mon, you didn't honestly expect that to happen."

The driver's door opened and Ienzo peeked in the back, a mischievous smile present on his face. "What I about to interrupt something?"

"In about five minutes maybe," Alex planted a kiss on Larxene's cheek.

"You ladies can finish this up at my place," Ienzo got in the car and shut the door behind him, speeding off as he did so.

"What took you so long?" Larxene stole Alex's cigarette and took a few puffs.

"I ran into that girl whose been giving Riku some problems," Ienzo explained as he drove past the main shopping center.

"Jasmine, right?" Alex asked curiously. "The nerd with the glasses?"

"The same one. You know, she's actually kind of hot when she's not in that uniform," Ienzo's grin grew by a couple of molars. "I saw her at Homecoming and I seriously _considered _her…"

Alex placed a hand on Larxene's shoulder. "Looks like Ienzo has a crush on the new girl. How sweet."

"She'll never have it as good as I do," Larxene scoffed. "It's not even an issue. What were you talking to her about?"

"I was gonna invite her to another one of my parties," Ienzo answered.

"Didn't she bail out on the last one? Ha, she probably has some studying to do."

Alex snatched the cigarette from Larxene's hand. "If you know she'll bail, then why bother Ienzo? Don't waste your time."

"I'm just trying to be sociable."

"Oh bull," Larxene laughed sadistically. "You're just trying to see if she's easy. Trust me, I know girls like her and I'd be shocked if she even had a boyfriend. They're stuck up prudes too scared for their perfect reputations to ever live a little. You're wasting your time."

"Screw the boyfriend part," Alex chimed in, "I'll bet she's never even been kissed!"

Everyone in the car roared with laughter even while driving through the residential areas. "You guys are jerks, I hope you know that," Ienzo said jokingly.

"Babe, you know you love me for it," Larxene winked.

"You know, I wanna see where this can go," Alex seemed very interested now in the whole idea and turned to Larxene. "I mean hey, she could turn out to be just like us."

"We'd just have to play with her a little bit, you know, see how far we could bend her," Larxene added with a twisted smile that only meant harm.

"Are you guys gonna break the new girl?" Ienzo asked, sounding rather intrigued.

"No, just have a little fun," Larxene wrapped her arm around Alex's waist. "We could use a third best friend for our group."

"Just for kicks?"

"Just for kicks," Larxene agreed.


	9. Chapter 9: Fever

**Author's Note: **Hello people! Sorry it's been taking me a while to update. The end of the school year really is more hectic than i thought :( Oh well, seeing as i have some free time, I'll be able to update at least a little bit. I'd like to thank my readers, those who fave the story and my reviewers **Catalyna Cullen, Kanika Meskhenet **and **animechick247**. Thanks you guys so much! And I love the pocky i keep getting :) Anywho, enjoy this chapter although it is short, and please review. The next chappie will be longer! Take care,

-skye :)

* * *

Jasmine sneezed loud enough to wake the dead, catching the attention of Tifa who was readying her purse for work. The hazel eyed youth's face was red and clammy and even her movements were slow.

"Jasmine, are you catching a cold?" Tifa asked as she set her purse down.

"N-Nope," Jasmine replied, congestion hindering her ability to speak and breathe. She let out another earth-shattering sneeze and nearly flew back in the barstool she sat on.

Tifa rushed to Jasmine's side and placed a hand on her forehead. With alarm, her eyes shot open. "You have a serious fever! Jasmine, you're burning up!"

Jasmine tried to swipe her god-mother's hand away but the motion was so slow that the fair-skinned woman easily smacked it away. "Your eyes are puffy, harsh breathing and it looks like your body aches. I think you have the flu."

"Huh?" Jasmine sniffled.

Tifa grabbed Jasmine by the shoulders and led her to her bedroom. "No way am I letting you go to school in this condition. Take off your uniform and climb in bed."

Jasmine whipped around, but as soon as she did, she became disoriented. "No! I have to go! I'll miss too much!" she argued weakly.

"Jasmine," her guardian said sternly. "Don't argue with me. Get in bed now." She led her up the stairs, taking her time in doing so. "I'll bring up some food and water. I'll even turn on your favorite anime."

"A-Anime?" Jasmine's eyelids fluttered closed and she slipped into unconsciousness, tripping over her own feet and falling forward. "S-Sounds nice…"

"Jasmine!" Tifa cried out in alarm.

* * *

Roxas looked around at nutrition with Naminé at his side. "I thought she might show up late, but I'm worried," the boy said sadly.

Naminé touched his arm and offered him a kind smile. "Roxas don't worry. I'm sure she's fine." She reached in her bag for her cell phone and slid it to her brother. "Just text her."

As soon as Roxas picked up the sleek Blackberry, Sora, Riku and Kairi took a seat at their table.

"Hey, where's Jasmine?" Sora asked curiously scanning the cafeteria.

"We were about to call," Naminé replied.

Riku rolled his eyes. "I bet she's off in the library or some place."

Kairi punched him in the arm. "Be nice Riku," she advised, "call and check on her Roxas."

Before Kairi even finished, Roxas was listening to the phone ring with everyone (including Riku) curiously waiting. After several more rings, someone answered the phone.

"Hello?" Tifa said.

"Hi Ms. Lockhart, its Roxas; we were wondering where Jasmine was. We didn't see her at school today."

There was silence on the other end until after several seconds Tifa answered. "Jasmine is extremely ill. I took her to the hospital earlier and they said she had a fever of almost 104 degrees. She definitely won't be in school today."

Roxas' eyes widened. "Is she gonna be okay?"

Tifa chuckled. "Ha, knowing Jasmine, she'll be back at school soon. We just had a scare this morning because she fainted. Her fever already dropped to 101 so there's no need to worry."

Still worried, but slightly calmed at knowing her fever dropped, Roxas put on a smile. "I see. Thank you Ms. Lockhart."

"Thank you for your concern Roxas. I'm glad Jasmine has friends who care about her enough to check on her. Bye."

Roxas hung up and handed the phone back to his sister who instantly pocketed it.

"So what happened?" Sora inquired, leaning forward on the table.

"What's wrong with her? You look seriously worried," Kairi stated.

"She fainted this morning and her temperature hit 104 degrees," he explained grimly. Those at the table's faces were painted with various emotions: shock, concern, sadness and the like. Riku however was the only one with an unreadable expression.

'Guess that rules out doing the project today,' he thought, frustrated beyond all belief. "That's great."

Kairi once again punched him in the arm.

"I was being sarcastic," he told her.

"Did she go to the hospital? A fever that high is extremely dangerous," Naminé noted. "If it was any higher, she could…"

The table fell silent but Roxas retained his smile. "Ms. Lockhart said that she'd be fine and that her fever dropped. She's just at home now."

"That's good," Sora broke out into his own goofy grin. "I'm glad she's getting better."

"Always the optimist," Riku ruffled Sora's hair, causing him to swat him away.

* * *

Riku looked at Jasmine's empty seat the following morning in his English class and frowned. "Damn it Jasmine," he swore. 'That's another day she's absent. We _have _to get this stupid project done.'

As soon as the bell for homeroom to be over rang and Riku dashed out of the classroom. As soon as he was out into the hall, he felt himself being pushed from behind. He turned around quickly and saw Ienzo with a mischievous grin leaning against the lockers with Larxene at his side.

"How dare you not say hi when you walk past me," he teased.

Riku rolled his eyes. "Guess I didn't see you there."

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down," Larxene told Riku. "Is that how you treat your friends?"

He paused and ran a hand through his hair. "…sorry. What did you want?"

"Just to say hi," Ienzo replied, linking his fingers with Larxene's. "What's got you so pissed off anyway?"

"Jasmine isn't here again today and we have to work on a project together."

Larxene's eyes widened. "The little nerd?" Riku nodded his head and the blond giggled. "What are the odds? I was just thinking about her."

Although Riku did not like the way Larxene looked when she said that, he brushed it off. "Yeah well we've got to do a project and I'm pissed. I'm not doing it all on my own." He stormed off down the hall and reached for the keys in his pocket. 'She's not gonna stick me with this.'


	10. Chapter 10: Nurse

**Author's Note: **Woot woot! School is finally out! Which means that I can spend more time on fanfiction! Sorry for the long wait but with the typical high school stuff I had to focus on my work and grades. But updates will come more often because, hey, I got nothing else to do but write :)

I wanna say thanks to all those who read and reviewed. I got more reviewers this time wheee! Thank you: **Tiryn **(glad you like it so far), **Flowen** (you're always a joy), **animechick247** (yeah I hate it when people get sick and I feel bad for Jasmine too), **Kanika Meshkenet **(a faithful reviewer who never ceases to make me smile), **Catalyna Cullen **(I'm glad prom season is over because with all the pocky you give me, I'd never fit into my dresses XD) and **Khaotic Kal** (I'm so glad you enjoy this story! I think Jasmine is my favorite OC to date. She's fun to mess with tehe). And I wanna thank all those who faved me and this story.

This chapter is gonna be a little longer but some things were necesscary. Hope you guys like red *wink wink* Enjoy and review! They're always welcome.

Take care,

Skye :)

* * *

Jasmine stared blankly at the television screen, struggling to breathe against the congestion in her chest and head. Tifa had placed a cool cloth over her forehead and tucked her into bed snuggly, programming her favorite movies to that she wouldn't have to get out of bed. Not that she could though because Jasmine's body was stiff and sore beyond anything she could comprehend.

'I can't believe I'm missing school,' she thought tiredly as she shut her eyes. 'So much to do…plus I have that English project to do.' Jasmine took a second and Riku's face popped into her mind, making her frown. 'I bet he's pissed that I'm not at school. Hmph, that jerk probably expected me to do the whole project for him and get a passing grade.' She rolled over on her side and watched _The Italian Job_. 'At least I don't have to look at his face for a few—'

The door to her room opened and Tifa stood in the doorway. She had taken off work so that she could care for Jasmine. While the sick youth pushed her to get back to work, Tifa had refused, stating that her time was better spent making sure that Jasmine had gotten better.

"Hey sweetheart," Tifa greeted softly, knowing that loud noises irritated headaches, "how are you feeling?"

Jasmine cleared her throat and tilted her head back so she could face Tifa. "Not so hot but I'll be fine by tomorrow."

"Uh, no," Tifa said bluntly. "I'm not letting you out of the house until you get better."

The teenager grumbled, only to be stopped shortly by several harsh, powerful coughs which seemed to end the short-lived argument.

"Anyway, it's lunch time but I know you're not hungry since you just ate an hour ago." Tifa pushed open the door and Jasmine's eyes bulged out of their sockets.

She jumped up in shock and pointed a finger accusingly at the boy standing in the doorway. "R-Riku? What are you—?" Jasmine let loose another string of severe coughs and fell back on her side with Tifa rushing to her.

Riku stood there with several books in his hands, staring curiously at Jasmine with sympathy clear in his eyes. 'So she really _is _sick,' he mused to himself, doing a once over of Jasmine. Her skin was clammy, her eyes were bloodshot and there seemed to be a bit of tightness around her eyes as if she had a headache. 'She looks half-dead.'

"Riku wanted to drop off some things for you," Tifa set Jasmine on her back and attempted to put the covers back on her, only to have them pushed off.

"It's too hot," Jasmine managed, shutting her eyes.

Tifa turned to Riku with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I don't think she's up for anything."

"No!" Jasmine argued. "We have to get this done."

Riku shook his head in disbelief. 'She can't _seriously _be willing to work in her condition.'

"He's going to get sick if he stays in this room with you," Tifa told Jasmine sternly.

The silver-haired boy offered a charming smile. "Ms. Lockhart, I don't get sick. I stayed in a room with my best friend who had the flu and walked out without catching anything. Besides," he pointed to Jasmine, "I don't think we'd hear the end of it if I didn't at least give Jasmine her work."

Tifa chuckled at the thought. "You're probably right. Well then," she turned on her heel and left the room, "I'll let you two get to it. Call me if you need anything."

"Thank you, Ms. Lockhart."

A heavy silence filled the room and Riku took a seat on the other end of the room, staring at Jasmine with an unreadable look on his face.

"You look like death," he dead-panned.

Jasmine's forehead wrinkled with the frown and she pointed to him. "What in the world are you doing here?" she managed.

Riku shifted in his seat. "If you weren't paying attention I'm here to drop off your stuff."

The mere sound and irritation in his voice was enough to send Jasmine over the edge. "Riku, if it was _so _much trouble for you then why did you even bother coming? I could have gotten it on my own," her arm flopped to the side and she started coughing into the comforter.

"You're too sick to be out trying to work," He told her sternly.

'He almost sounds sincere,' Jasmine noted. "So what is it? You dropped the stuff off, you can go now."

With a sigh, Riku reached into his binder and pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen. He began taking notes with Jasmine looking on curiously. "W-What are you doing?"

"I'm starting our project. I don't have a real sixth period and I want to get this done now," he told her as he filled out a t-chart.

Jasmine lifted herself up on her elbows and stared. 'So he's serious about his work…I never would have thought.'

"Do you at least know _Lord of the Flies_? How far did you get?" Riku set his pen down and pulled out the novel.

"I finished—achoo!" she sneezed, making Riku flinch back.

"Watch it New Girl," he warned.

"Oh my," Jasmine snapped sarcastically, "have I ruined your perfect air? So sorry pretty-boy…"

"Did you just call me "pretty boy"?"

Jasmine smirked and blew her nose into a tissue. "I didn't stutter. But then again," she tossed the soiled tissue into a nearby wastebasket, "you might take that as a compliment so we'll just let it slide for now, okay?"

It was then that Riku noticed a glass of water on Jasmine's nightstand. He set the book and paper in his lap and reached for the glass. Riku held it out to Jasmine who seemed skeptical at the sight before her. "You need to drink this."

Still Jasmine only stared at him.

"If you want to get better, you need to flush whatever you have out of your system. Water is the best thing for you right now so drink," he commanded.

Obediently, Jasmine took the glass from his hand and drank it til it was nothing more. 'It almost seems like he cares…'

* * *

"Roxas," Naminé said as she cut the Homecoming pictures of her brother and Jasmine, "you guys look amazing together."

Roxas, who was sitting in his living room watching music videos, took a wallet-sized photo and smiled. "She does look amazing."

A tall, lanky, red-headed man appeared from the kitchen with a can of soda in his hand. He looked over Naminé's shoulder and his fierce green eyes widened at the picture. "Damn Roxas, is this the fox you took to Homecoming?"

"Yeah Axel," Roxas replied as he slipped the photo into his wallet, "that's Jasmine."

Axel grinned. "That's the prettiest girl you've pulled. I'm proud of you."

Naminé giggled. "She's a serious academic; always studying and working. But she's really cool."

Axel came around to Roxas and took a seat on the couch next to him. "Very nice, so that's your girlfriend, huh?"

Roxas blushed slightly and shook his head. "Ah, no. She's just a friend."

The redhead's eyes widened and he snatched Roxas' wallet away from him and opened to where the Homecoming photo was. "You've got to be kidding me. Look at her!" Axel nearly shoved the wallet in his face. "She's smart, hard-working with a pretty face and a body that kills. What's wrong with you?"

"Hey," Roxas took his wallet back and composed himself, "do you want to date her?"

Axel shrugged his shoulders. "I don't feel like going to jail over her. She's sixteen and I'm 21. This Jasmine chick is cute but I'm not gonna chance it."

"And if she were two years older?" Roxas asked curiously.

Axel ruffled the blonde's hair. "If she were legal, I would've stolen her from you by now."

"You're so…blunt," Naminé stated as she rolled her eyes. She approached the two and handed Axel and photo.

"Not that many people are gonna tell it how it is," Axel told them, stealing the remote away from Roxas, "that's what I'm here for. I keep it honest."

Roxas said, "But it sounds really weird how you're talking about dating my sixteen year-old friend."

Axel set down the photo. "With a body and face like that, how could I _not _think about it?"

Roxas snatched the remote back and grumbled, "Don't be a pedophile. They don't treat those guys that well in prison."

"Like hell I'll be in prison," Axel shut his eyes rubbed his thumb over his reversed, tear-drop shaped tattoos. "But seriously man, do you even think about Jasmine in that way? You look seriously happy in that picture."

It took Roxas almost a minute to answer. "Jasmine is real cool. But I don't think she'd be into me."

Axels' eyes shot open. "Don't tell me she's into chicks?"

Roxas smacked him in the chest. "No you idiot. She just seems the type whose really into her schoolwork. That's all."

"So she's got crazy parents who ride her," Axel reasoned.

Naminé and Roxas stared at each other, thinking the same thing. Jasmine had never spoken a word about her parents. They knew that Tifa was her god-mother but that was as far as she got into her personal life. She never explained it, and they never really asked. But now that the subject had come up, the twins were curious.

"I don't really know," Naminé said, trailing off.

"She doesn't talk about her family," Roxas added.

"Well then," Axel began, "then as her friends it's up to you guys to figure out what's going on. I mean, can you really call yourselves her friends if you don't really know that much about her?"

Naminé pursed her lips. "That's true. Kairi even mentioned that on Jasmine's assignments, she has something before her actual name. She just uses Jasmine as her name on the island and everyone just goes with it."

Roxas sat there and crossed his arms over his chest. 'She doesn't even use her first name? Maybe Axel is right, we can't call ourselves her friend if we don't even know the most basic information. Some friend I am…'

* * *

"Jasmine! Stop sneezing!" Riku snapped.

"I'm sick you idiot!" Jasmine cried out hoarsely, kicking her feet over the edge of her bed. "It's not something I can just turn on and off."

Riku looked at the clock. It was almost six o'clock in the evening and surprisingly, they had gotten a good chunk of their project done. But then again it was simple. The biggest challenge was completing character analysis charts for everyone in the story and now, even though Jasmine was highly medicated and extremely ill, they had managed to get done with a lot of work. Riku couldn't say that he wasn't pleased and he was rather shocked too. Most people in Jasmine's condition would have passed out long ago from exhaustion but she hung in there and provided good, usable information.

'But then again, being the nerd that she is,' Riku thought tiredly, 'it's not that shocking.'

Jasmine ran her hands through her hair. 'My head is killing me,' she thought with her eyes closed. 'I should be asleep. At least this stupid project is almost done.'

"We can finish the rest when you get back to school," Riku told her as he collected his things.

She nodded her head and suddenly felt dizzy. She began to wobble back and forth, now feeling fatigue from working long past her body's limits.

"I guess one of us can type it up and when we get it figured out, we'll—"Riku stopped abruptly when he heard something hit the floor. He whipped around and his eyes widened when he saw Jasmine's crumpled form on the ground. Riku dropped his books and rushed to her side.

"Jasmine!" He called as he grabbed her shoulders. She didn't respond and her breathing was thick from the congestion in her chest. Riku placed a hand on her forehead and he cursed. 'Her fever is high.' As a contradiction, she shivered violently and Riku became worried. He looked around the room and saw a few things that could help.

Riku carefully lifted up her body and set it gently on the bed, slipping the covers over her. Not waiting for Tifa, he took the wash cloth near a bowl of cool water, dunked it and wrung it out before placing it on her forehead.

"Nurse, it's too hot," Jasmine muttered.

"I'm not the friggin' nurse," Riku told her.

He stepped back and took something from his messenger bag.

"You're not my mom," Jasmine continued on mindlessly, "Mom never cared enough to check up on me."

Riku stopped dead in his track and turned to Jasmine. 'What the heck is she talking about?'

And then Jasmine fell silent as her head tilted to the side. "You take much better care of me."

For a moment, Riku could have sworn his heart did either two things: one was stop momentarily from the warmth of Jasmine's words or two which was stop from the shock of hearing her speak in such a childish, shrill way. When he looked over his shoulder, Jasmine was out cold and was now sleeping peacefully. Riku shook his head and chuckled.

"I always end up with the weird ones."

* * *

Tifa had waved goodbye to Riku as he backed out of the driveway, commenting on how nice his car was mentally. She shut the door and headed back to the kitchen, taking out the rubber band from her hair.

"Now let's see, I have to go into work tomorrow early and see what's been going on," Tifa thought out loud. She was about to go into the refrigerator when something on the countertop caught her attention. There was a tall, unmarked bottle of dark liquid and two small boxes beside it with a note under it. Tifa grabbed the note and skimmed over it.

_Ms. Lockhart,_

_Thank you for allowing me to stay over when Jasmine was sick. This is a special tea my mom makes whenever my father is sick and it's good for congestion and coughs. The box on top has more packages of the tea and the box under it has special cough drops my mom forces down our throats before we get sick. It really helps and Jasmine could use some._

_Would you mind telling her that you bought it? If she knew it was from me, she's probably think I was trying to poison her or something. _

_Thanks again, _

_Riku Y._

"Well I'll be," Tifa set the note down and smiled. She picked up the bottle and headed for Jasmine's room. 'What a nice gesture…this can't be the same young man Jasmine swears on. Guess there's a lot more to him than one would think.'


	11. Chapter 11: Return

**Author's Note: **Yay for quick uploads! I'm glad you guys are enjoying this story so far. I didn't expect to get that much good feedback because it's just one of those random things that I just got going. I want to thank my lovely reviewers **Tiryn **(glad you like it so far),** Kanika Meskhenet**(a naughty nurse's outfit O_o hmm that gives me an idea hehe),** animechick247 **(who doesn't love Axel and his craziness? he and Roxas are my fave Org 13 members)** and Khaotic Kal**(I'm so sorry about your injury and I'm glad this made your day. i know how you feel; i injured my hand and had to play for a concert that same day T_T hope I can make your day today!). You guys are really making this an enjoyable experience. To all those reading, I know this chapter is considerably shorter than the last, but I just wanted to resolve some things from the last chapter and introduce two new problems. You'll see what I mean :)

BTW: I am about to start working on a new story and I think it'll be up later on tonite or tomorrow. It's an AU dark/fantasy/romance/tragedy (my favorites) and I hope you guys take a minute to read and tell me what you think.

As usual, feedback and reviews are welcome and most of all, take care and enjoy :)

-Skye

* * *

Jasmine yawned before drinking a fair amount of the tea Tifa had prepared for her. 'I don't know where she got this stuff from, but I feel great.' As she screwed on the top she smiled and went back to filling in assignments in her agenda. 'It's almost like I never got sick to begin with.'

"You're back!"

When Jasmine looked up, she saw Roxas approaching her with a smile on his face. She closed her agenda and pushed it to the side. "Back from the dead," she added lightly. "What's been going on since I was out? It feels like I've been gone forever."

Roxas sat on the edge of her desk and set a Homecoming wallet-sized photo in front of her. "Not much really. I have a list of the assignments you missed so if you want I'll give them—"

"You don't have to Roxas, thanks," Jasmine said as she picked up the photograph. "Riku came over yesterday and handed me everything."

His blond eyebrows shot up. "The guy with silver hair who gives you trouble? That Riku?"

She nodded. "Yup; he came over so we could do that English project. He brought over all my assignments too."

"That was nice of him," Roxas stated suspiciously.

"I almost think that he gave me the wrong stuff to screw with my head, but I don't feel like opening that can of worms right now. Anyway," she fingered the photo, "this is a great picture Roxas. You look handsome," she added shyly.

Roxas' cheeks flushed pink and he turned away so that Jasmine wouldn't catch his embarrassment. "You're the one standing out in the picture Jasmine."

Trying her best to avoid an answer to that, she tried to change the subject. "Did you get those yesterday?"

"Actually," Roxas slipped into the seat next to her, "I got them the first day. Naminé just finished cutting them up last night. I even wrote something on the back."

"Really now?" Before Jasmine could turn the picture over, Roxas grabbed her hand.

"Don't look at it now," Roxas told her sternly, "later."

Jasmine stared at him quizzically. "Why later? Why not now?"

"Because I told you too," Roxas said flatly.

The dark-haired girl shrugged her shoulders and slipped the photo into a pocket in her binder. "Only because you're telling me not to, am I going to listen."

"Ha," Roxas chuckled, "then I consider myself lucky."

"Yeah, because if Riku did the same thing he would have been torn to pieces by now."

"…yeah I'd say I'm _really _lucky."

* * *

During one of her classes, Jasmine had been asked to make a run for a teacher to deliver copies of something. She shuffled the papers in her arms and carefully watched the classroom numbers so that she wouldn't miss the room. Even after all this time, Jasmine still found the halls confusing and once or twice got turned around.

'Now where is this classroom?'

A sharp whistle in the near-deserted halls startled Jasmine, making her jump.

A girl chuckled. "Wow, she sure is scary," she noted in a sort of sinister voice.

When Jasmine finally found the person, she recognized her immediately as one of the girls Riku hung around with on occasion as well as the strawberry blond he used to date.

"Be nice Larxene," Alex told her friend as she leaned against the lockers, "you know you have a way of making people uncomfortable."

"Uh, hi?" Jasmine stared at the two girls who were obviously ditching, then to the stack of papers in her hands, then to the hall.

"What's up Jasmine? How's the school treating you?" Larxene asked curiously.

"Fine?" She was getting seriously bad vibes from the blondes and almost started to walk away when Larxene called for her again.

"You hurt my feelings," Larxene now stood in front of Jasmine and had this dark look upon her face.

Jasmine seemed genuinely confused. "I did? How so?"

Larxene paced around Jasmine in a circle while slowly looking her up and down. "You were invited to my Ienzo's party and you never showed up. I was _so _looking forward to partying with you. It's not every day that we get new kids and I wanted to be friends."

It didn't take Jasmine long to figure out how fake Larxene was being. Everything sounded like it was rehearsed and that evil glint in her eye did nothing to prove that there was sincerity lying behind the words.

"I had a lot to do," Jasmine said quickly before starting to walk off again. Before she could get far, Larxene grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"Well then," Alex began, approaching the two, "you can make it up to Ienzo because he was looking for you the whole night."

Although Jasmine was shocked by all that was going on she kept her cool. "Really?" she asked, feigning interest and hoping it didn't show up on her face.

"Listen here," Larxene wrapped an arm around Jasmine's waist, making her tense up and clench the papers tighter to her chest, "Ienzo is having a get-together in a couple of weeks and we want you to come."

"Think of it as being our guest of honor," Alex chimed in, smiling as she did so.

'These chicks are as fake as it can get,' Jasmine mentally rolled her eyes. 'They'd probably do something to embarrass me or something like that.' She stepped away from the two and continued on her way. "I'll give it some thought. Promise," and with that she sped down the hall, thankful for her quick legs.

Once Jasmine disappeared from sight, Larxene rolled her eyes. "What a stuck up prude," she sneered. "I don't think she likes us at all."

"I'm telling you Larxene," Alex began slowly, "you probably freaked the poor girl out. You know how you are…"

Larxene's eyes narrowed. "What was that?"

Instantly, the strawberry blond cowered before the green eyed teen before her. "I-I wasn't trying to be mean…"

"Just shut up! You can really be annoying sometimes, sheesh."

With that, Alex fell obediently silent, waiting for Larxene to continue. "As I was saying, she's gonna be a hard one to crack. Hmm," she began heading down the opposite way from which Jasmine had left, "it looks like we'll have to start slow and work up to something."

"Is this still just for kicks?" Alex asked innocently as she trailed her "leader".

"…as far as it goes, it's still for my entertainment. But the second she pisses me off, she's through."

* * *

Jasmine blew out a breath of exhaustion as she exited the school grounds. 'Who knew that it'd be tough getting back to school after a two day absence? Sheesh…'

As she rounded the corner, she nearly bumped into someone but turned on her heel to avoid a collision. "Sorry about that," she muttered. However, when Jasmine finally looked, she saw that it was Riku she almost crashed into.

"New girl," he said flatly, continuing on his way.

"Hold on!" she called out, reaching to him as she did so.

Riku paused and looked over his shoulder, giving her the same disinterested look he always had when he dealt with her. "What do you want?"

'I shouldn't even do this with his attitude,' Jasmine forced down the insult she had waiting and sighed, putting on a slight smile instead. "I just…wanted to thank you."

It was then that Riku's face softened slightly. "For what?" He was silently hoping that Ms. Lockhart didn't tell Jasmine that he'd been the one to have given her the medicine and tea.

She gripped onto her shoulder bag. "For helping me out," she replied shyly. "I know I'm not your favorite person…"

"Got that right," he quipped, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Ignoring that," a vein popped out of her neck and she continued on, "without you, I would have been sunk in work and it would have taken me a long time to have gotten it done. So I just wanted to say thanks."

Riku took a second to analyze Jasmine's facial expression. She was truly grateful and there was no sarcasm or anything lying underneath her words, unless she was that good at covering it up. But somehow, Riku honestly believed that she was being genuine. He fished out his car keys from his pocket and replied, "No problem." And with that, he continued on his way without doing so much as looking behind him.

Jasmine stood there, confused but relieved in a way. "Well that was painless…"

* * *

Tifa and Jasmine sat around the television, watching a movie. Tifa sat on the couch while Jasmine lay on the floor, intently staring at the screen. After popping a grape into her mouth, Tifa spoke.

"You know your parents called me today." She said emotionlessly.

"Oh, I see," Jasmine continued to watch the movie, seemingly unfazed by all of this.

"Your mom said that she hope you feel better and to call her later on," Tifa replied.

After a couple of seconds, Jasmine asked, "What about my father? Did he say anything?"

Tifa's soft eyes were conflicted and it seemed as though she didn't really want to answer. But once Jasmine turned around and she met her gaze, she knew she had to answer. "He said to make sure you got done with your work so your grades don't slip."

"…Is that all?"

With a sigh, Tifa replied, "Yes, that's all."

"Hmph," Jasmine scoffed, turning her attention back to the television, "why am I not surprised?"

And on that note, Tifa continued to stare at Jasmine, who kept her face as unreadable as humanly possible. But she knew what was going on inside her god-daughter's mind. Tifa herself had been witness to some of Jasmine and her father's conversations and they ended up just like this.

'I hope she finds happiness on the island,' Tifa thought sadly as she watched Jasmine stretch out on the floor. 'I really hope she does.'


	12. Chapter 12: Orange and Black

**Author's Note: **I know I already said this, but whoop for quicker uploads! I'd like to thank everyone who read and faved this story, and me again...seriously this story was done for randomness and absolute boredom in economics XD but I'm glad you guys like it so far. I wanna thank **animechick247, Sovereign Beta and Khaotic Kal** for their reviews. I'm gonna try to get the next chapter done tonight because this and the next, are directly connected and they should be...rather interesting hehe. Enjoy this chapter and I'll hurry up on the next one. Thanks guys :)

-skye

* * *

"Roxas, what are you planning to do for you and Naminé's birthday party?" Sora asked curiously as he sat in the latter's bedroom.

Roxas, who was busy typing away on his laptop, shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know; we always plan something for each other but this year, I'm clueless." He sighed heavily before closing his laptop and falling back on his bed. "What do you get the girl who can have everything?"

Sora shrugged his shoulders. "Your birthday is Halloween right. Why don't you guys do a themed party or something?"

The dirty blond twiddled his fingers against the headboard. "That was already in the works, but as for a gift, I don't know. That's what's killing me now."

Sora, who was lazing on a sofa under a large window, turned on his stomach and pursed his lips. "Jeez Roxas, can't help you there…"

Roxas turned to Sora with eyes narrowed. "You are so useless."

Indignation and shock colored the younger teens face. "Hey! That wasn't called for!"

Playfully, he pushed Sora so that the brunette almost fell off the sofa. "My bad; but that still doesn't help me with the problem I'm facing now."

Sora sat back up and went straight back into a leisurely position. He placed his hands behind his head and asked, "Why don't you have Jasmine help you? You know I'm not good at picking out stuff for girls. I wouldn't know what to get Naminé. She might be your best bet."

It was then that Roxas' face lit up. He scanned his desk and reached for his cell phone. "You aren't useless anymore!"

"Uhh," Sora scratched his head, "thanks? And I was never useless to begin with!" He leaned over and watched Roxas scan his contacts for Jasmine's number. "You guys just spend so much time together that it just kind of clicked."

"Good call," Roxas started typing away on the screen of his phone while Sora continued to stare curiously at the blond.

"Speaking of which," he began slowly, "what's the deal with you and Jasmine anyway?"

Roxas looked up for a second, only to return to his text. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Sora threw up his arms in exasperation. "You know what I'm talking about Roxas! Don't play dumb!"

Once Roxas was finished, he shoved the phone into his pocket. "Seriously dude, I don't get what you're talking about. Is there something I should know?"

"I meant," Sora cracked his knuckles loudly, making Roxas cringe, "that you guys seem to be pretty close in just this short amount of time. And, you looked really happy with Jasmine at Homecoming…"

"Did you talk to Axel or something?"

"Nope," he replied, "just being carefully observant. I got it!"

"…got what? I still don't understand what you're talking about."

Sora jumped to his feet. "Why don't you ask out Jasmine on a date?"

Roxas' eyes shot open and his cheeks flushed pink. "You can't be serious!"

"What? It's not like you guys haven't been out before."

"No, but that was just—"

"Oh no, don't play that game," Sora challenged, "you can't tell me that you didn't have a lot of fun with Jasmine that night; you practically glowed."

Roxas scoffed, "Since when did you care about my relationship with Jasmine this much? Don't you think that you should be more worried about what's happening with you and Kairi besides my affairs?" Seeing Sora's face turn a matching shade of red as his brought him satisfaction. "Exactly, so you really shouldn't be concerned with me."

"Me and Kairi are really good friends!"

'Oh bull like they're "just friends"…' Roxas thought, smirking inside his head.

"But we're not talking about me here…" Sora pointed a finger in Roxas' face. "We're talking about you, and how we're gonna make sure you're happy, okay?"

"Who says I'm not happy?" Roxas collapsed on his bed and shut his eyes while the room fell silent.

Sora's eyes were tinted over with sadness. "Can you honestly say that?"

It took Roxas a little while to say anything. He shut his eyes and breathed heavily. "For now Sora, I'm okay. It's been rough for a while, but I am happy. Now…" his eyes shot open, "it's time to figure out what we're gonna do for Naminé's party."

Just for now, Sora let the matter drop and a cheesy grin painted his face. "Aren't you twins? It's just as much your party as it is hers."

"Well yeah, but you know how Naminé is. She's always trying to do something for someone else and never takes herself into consideration. This year, it's gonna be about her."

"With a splash of you?"

Roxas chuckled at Sora's care and concern. "Yeah man, with a splash of me."

* * *

Jasmine stood outside of the Destiny Islands' large high-end mall, waiting for a certain redhead. She placed her hands in the pockets of her baggy basketball shorts and tried to hide her embarrassment as several girls of a wealthy background stared at her with disdain. She crossed her arms over her chest. 'At least they could be a little less obvious that they're giving me weird looks…'

"Sorry I kept you waiting," Kairi breathed as she leaned over to catch her breath, "my grandmother needed me and of course…"

"Yeah I get it," Jasmine waved off the first statement, "your grandmother needed you, and grandma rules over everything."

Kairi brushed her hair out of her eyes and she smiled. Jasmine noticed that Kairi was wearing a cute pink, halter dress with a green hood and lavender high tops with the laces tied up her legs. 'Only Kairi could get away with wearing something like that and still look adorable.'

"Anyway, thanks for coming," Kairi said as she grabbed Jasmine's wrist and led her into the mall.

"Uh, you're welcome," Jasmine didn't put up much of a struggle but still trailed behind her. "But you never actually told me why we're here in the first place…"

Kairi slowed and turned around. "You already had something planned? Or you just didn't really want to come with me?"

Jasmine shook her head furiously. "No no no! That's not what I meant at all! Swear. I never do anything anyway," she admitted grimly, "my social life pretty much is nonexistent."

"Whew," Kairi sighed in relief, "I thought I was inconveniencing you in some way or another."

"Like I said, I don't have much of a social life," Jasmine repeated. She saw that she was being dragged to a part of the mall that was unfamiliar to her. "But do you mind telling me where we're going?"

"Oh that's easy," Kairi grinned, "we're going shopping for Halloween costumes."

Jasmine froze in place, yanking Kairi back as well. "Halloween costumes?"

"Yes, Halloween costumes," Kairi repeated. She wagged a finger in Jasmine's face. "In case you forgot, we have the school's Halloween carnival and Naminé and Roxas' birthday parties to go to."

'Oh crap the friggin' carnival,' Jasmine thought darkly, 'I knew I was forgetting something important.' She scratched her head and said, "That's the Friday after this one, right? And Halloween, their birthdays, are that Saturday…"

Kairi tossed her head back and laughed, pushing Jasmine towards the back of the mall. "Yes dummy, they're both coming up pretty fast and we need costumes for _both._"

Jasmine saw a specialty shop coming up advertising Halloween costumes especially for young girls, to teens and to older women. However, when she got closer, the outfits hanging in the windows looked more like lingerie than anything. Her face reddened and she stammered, "I-I don't k-know about this…"

"Just come on," Kairi advised, "this isn't gonna kill you."

As Jasmine was being pushed in the store, she commented, "What is it with you and Naminé and forcing poor unsuspecting girls into these kinds of situations?"

"Jasmine, we're just going shopping for costumes. It's not that big of a deal."

"It is when half the costumes of the store I'm walking into looks like lingerie shop," Jasmine replied.

"Okay, obviously you've never heard of the slut rule on Halloween," Kairi sighed.

"Kairi!" She cried in shock as she stood her ground at the store's entrance. "I'm shocked at you."

The redhead rolled her eyes. "I don't dress in those tiny outfits, my parents would kill me. Besides," she added, "I'm too short. Half the time the people in these stores think I'm in middle school."

It took some restraint for Jasmine to not laugh because it was true. While Kairi was extremely cute, she did often end up looking younger than her age with the school uniform. Not so much today because she was in casual clothes but without them, one would think otherwise. "It's okay Kairi," she said finally. "Don't think of yourself as short, think of it as being…fun-sized!"

The two broke out into a fit of laughter and when Jasmine caught her breath she continued. "I mean hey, you can date any kind of guy too. You never have to worry about towering over some guy. Talk about embarrassing."

"Nice," Kairi remarked, "But," she shoved Jasmine into the store, "you're not getting out of this shopping trip."

* * *

"That outfit works for you Kairi," Jasmine said as her friend paid for her pink and orange witch's costume. "You're working at the cotton candy booth, right?"

"Uh huh," she replied as the cashier, who was dressed in a skimpy policewoman's outfit handed her the shopping bag. "There's no need to dress in anything dark. It's not my thing anyway."

Jasmine slinked her way to the exit. "Good. Now that we're all done here—"

"Oh no," Kairi yanked Jasmine back into the store. "It's time to look for your outfit. I don't see why you're in such a rush to get out of here."

The dark-haired girl crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the ground. "In case you haven't noticed," she whispered, "but if I wore _anything _in my size, I'd look like a hooker."

"Jasmine," Kairi put her hands on her hips, "it's a school festival, not a nightclub. You have to give me more credit than that." She then gave Jasmine a quick once-over. "That's the problem: you're too conservative."

"Conservative? I just dress for comfort because I never go anywhere," Jasmine argued softly.

"Well, the tomboy look is gonna have to go," Kairi announced. "What's your homeroom's assignment? The haunted house right?"

"Yeah…?"

"Excuse me," Kairi called out, "can we get some help?"

Jasmine put Kairi's hand down. "What are you doing?" she hissed.

"Getting help obviously," Less than a second later, a scantily clad woman in a vampires outfit appeared before them.

"How may I help you ladies?" she asked sweetly, contrasting her appearance with her demeanor.

Kairi grabbed Jasmine's arm and the latter wondered when her arm would finally be pulled out of the socket. "Yeah, my friend is working a booth at our school's Halloween carnival and we have a party to go to the next day. Can you help us find something?"

"Of course," the woman said kindly. "What are you doing at this carnival?" she asked Jasmine.

"…haunted mansion," Jasmine mumbled in defeat.

"So will you actually be in the mansion at the time?"

"I'm supposed to be a guide or something," Jasmine recalled.

"Hmm," the woman's dark eyes sparkled as if she recalled something. "I think we can work on that. So tell me about this Halloween party…"

"It's our best friend's birthday," Kairi responded in the place of her friend.

The vamp stared at Jasmine. "Well you're a little on the taller side so most likely you'll end up in the young women's section…wait, why do you look so uncomfortable?"

Kairi and the saleswoman caught Jasmine rocking on her heels and Kairi whispered, "she's kind of conservative."

"Ah I see," she replied in understanding. "Honey," she said to Jasmine who stopped, "It's Halloween! The whole point is to be something you're not and have a good time." She offered Jasmine a kind, reassuring smile. "Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and be a little wild."

"You see?" Kairi grabbed Jasmine's shoulders. "Stop freaking out and just have fun with it. You can go back to your basketball shorts and baggy t-shirts on Sunday."

The saleswoman giggled. "Let me ask you," this was directed at Kairi, "what did you have in mind for her?"

"Something short and hot…"

'I'm gonna look like a prostitute…' Jasmine thought in despair. 'Put me on a corner now and get it over with.'

"But nothing like what I'm wearing right?" The vampires asked pointing to her plunging neckline that reached her belly button. Seeing the hesitant look on the two high-school girls' faces only made her laugh. "Yeah I know I'm a little extreme. Since you guys are young, we'd definitely wanna tone it down."

'By a lot,' Jasmine thought.

The saleswoman snapped her fingers. "I know just what we need! Come on."

With that Kairi and Jasmine followed her to the far right of the store. Just as Jasmine began to open her mouth in protest but Kairi shot her a death glare and the she silenced herself instantly, deciding to not test the limits of the fiery redhead before her.


	13. Chapter 13: All in Preparation

**Author's Note: **Okay since I have to finish up the next chapter tonight, I'm gonna make this short. I wanna thank all the readers, faves people and the reviewers. Everyone's so curious as to see what Jasmine's costumes are ^^ you guys will see lol. To my reviewers, **Khaotic Kal, Catalyna Cullen, Kanika Meskhenet, animechick247, Tiryn, Soveriegn Beta and Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, **thank you guys so much! I enjoy every single review :) Well I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and hopefully the next will be up tonight or tomorrow. This is my longest chapter so far but expect the next one to be something else O_o

Take care!

-Skye

* * *

As soon as the students settled into their seats, Mr. James brought the class to order. He shut the door behind him and grinned. "Morning students!" Today he actually got more response and his grin only widened. "Wow, it looks like everyone is awake. But I guess it's because the carnival is this Friday."

Roxas, who took his usual seat next to Jasmine leaned over and whispered, "Are you excited?"

Jasmine appeared to be in deep thought blinked into alertness. "Oh…yeah."

"You don't sound excited," Roxas said observantly. "What's wrong?"

Instead of answering, she simply sighed and motioned for Roxas to pay attention to the teacher. "So as you all know, our homeroom is in charge of the haunted house and you all have been assigned jobs. Given that our school takes this seriously, homeroom will be extended for an hour each day and we'll spend two hours after school running checks and such." Mr. James held out a set of flyers and distributed them to those at the front of the rows. "As usual, the homeroom that generates the most profit gets to take a vacation day on one of the other islands. This year, the location is Radiant Garden."

It was then that Jasmine's eyes widened and she finally caught onto the excitement. When she got the flyer, she stared at it and Roxas looked over and caught onto her sudden change in attitude. "Whoa, you seem happy."

"I've never been to Radiant Garden," Jasmine admitted, never taking her eyes off the flyer, "and I've always wanted to go there." And then she thought, 'it's for the wealthy who just want an escape. It be the perfect get-away. Beautiful beaches and gardens, amazing food and great nightlife…'

"And so although I'm sure many of you have already been there, I'm sure you'd all enjoy a day off from school," Mr. James continued. He cleared his throat. "You all have your assignments for what to do. We'll discuss it now and after school we'll start the set up. Okay? Get to work."

The students rose from their seats and Roxas stood at Jasmine's desk. She scooted back in her seat and, with a smile, slid the informational flyer into her binder. He caught a glimpse of the Homecoming photo on the front and sat on the edge of her desk. "So, umm, did you read what was on the back yet?"

"Actually, I was gonna do it now since we have free time," Jasmine took out the photograph only to have Roxas grab her hand. She stared at it and then looked him in the eye, tilting her glasses down as she did so. "Or do you not want me to read it?"

"Not in front of everyone," Roxas said quietly.

"Why? Am I gonna react or something?" She inquired.

Roxas only squeezed her hand tighter. "It's kind of embarrassing," he admitted.

With a sigh, Jasmine put the photo back into place. "Roxas, do you honestly think I'd say something? Really, I'm not that kind of person."

"I know," Roxas barely noticed that he was still holding Jasmine's hand and wondered if she noticed this too, "but still, read it later when no one is around."

She shook her head and laughed. "Fine Roxas." But she did notice that he still had her hand. Jasmine tactfully removed her's and reached for the notebook in her bag, not noticing the split-second look of disappointment in Roxas' eyes. "So since we're supposed to be wandering around in the haunted house to make sure that people don't get lost, why don't we look at the floor plan."

"Good idea," and then Roxas said, "wait, isn't Riku supposed to be with us on this job?" He scanned the classroom but found no sign of the silver-haired teen.

"Ha," Jasmine scoffed, "let him figure it out on his own. All he's doing is watching out so that the screaming kids don't run into a dead end and start trippin' out. That's something even HE can do." She took out the purple floor plan from her notebook and set it on her desk. "By the way, what are you going as?"

"A butler," Roxas replied nonchalantly, "what about you? What are you wearing?"

Jasmine cleared her throat and ducked her head down to hide her reddening cheeks. "You'll see on Friday," she told him. "Kairi and I picked out our costumes for your party too so we're all set."

"And," he leaned closer, "are we still on for after set-up today?"

A cold chill went down Jasmine's spine as Roxas' cool breath hit her ear as he spoke to her. To combat this, she kept her cool and acted as if it didn't affect her. "Yeah," she turned and whispered to him, somewhat shocked at how close they were to each other, "right after we'll leave. I'll finish my homework at school so we can have as much free time as possible. Kay?"

With a warm smile with something hiding underneath his gaze, Roxas placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah, that's perfect."

* * *

Kairi, who was lifting a box of supplies to the school's courtyard with Selphie, stopped when she finally spotted the one person who she needed to see. "Riku! Where were you?"

The junior carried a heavy load himself but stopped when he saw his friends. "What's up?"

Kairi set down her things and placed her hands on her hips. "I tried to call and text you but you wouldn't answer your phone. You were needed with your homeroom five minutes ago."

"Ha," Selphie teased, "usually it's Sora who goes off to shirk his responsibilities, not you."

"First off," Riku began, "I'm not like that blockhead so let's get that straight. Second of all, I was just there two seconds ago and that's why I have this box. Third," he faced Kairi, "I know I have amazing abilities and all, but I can't answer my phone when I have stuff like this in my hands."

"Amazing abilities?" Selphie quoted, "Don't get ahead of yourself."

"If it's true, then technically it's not getting ahead of myself," Riku walked past Selphie and playfully elbowed her in the side. "By the way, aren't we supposed to be done in twenty minutes? I wanna get out of here."

Kairi grabbed her box and asked, "Why? Do you have another date or something?"

"You know Riku," Selphie began, "you should slow down on the dating thing. You're already the designated player of our group and everyone knows it."

With a shrug of his shoulders, Riku disregarded the statement. "People are gonna think what they want to think regardless of anything I say or do. And no, I'm not going out with anyone."

"Did Alex cure you of that?" Kairi said softly so that no one would overhear.

"Let's just say I've got other things on my mind," And with that Riku turned on his heel and continued to go on his way.

* * *

"Whew," Jasmine brushed a bead of sweat from her forehead. She and Roxas sat on a bench outside of their homeroom's haunted house. "We got a lot done today," she stated as she watched several students leave the building with their belongings.

"At this rate, we'll be done by Wednesday," Roxas thought out loud.

"By the way, what is Naminé's class doing?"

"They're working on food sales and stuff. She actually left a while ago," he replied as he fished out his house keys.

Jasmine loosened her tie. "Wait, how did she leave?"

Roxas stood up and held out his hand which Jasmine took. "She drove her car today and I told her that I needed to handle something afterwards. My friend is picking us up."

"Really?" She grabbed her messenger bag and followed him out to the school's parking lot. "Which friend?"

"You haven't met him," Roxas said simply. "But you'll never forget him."

Jasmine stopped at this. "Should I be worried?"

Just then, a black Lexus pulled up in front of the two and a man with wild red hair and amazing green eyes stepped out of the driver's seat. "Yo, Roxas! What's up man?"

Roxas turned and pulled Jasmine down the steps, giving her a reassuring smile. When they reached the car, he introduced the two. "Jasmine, this is my best friend, Axel."

She smiled shyly and waved while Axel simply stared. He turned to Roxas with a smirk. "Your girlfriend is prettier in person, but I see what Naminé was talking about when she meant the definition of a "school girl"."

"She's not my girlfriend," Roxas growled, balling his fists as he did so while Jasmine bit the inside of her cheeks to keep the heat from rising to her face.

"Calm down, buddy," Axel walked over to Jasmine and shook her hand, "it's just a joke." He gave Jasmine another hard stare, then back to Roxas, and then Jasmine again. "Well for now anyway…"

Roxas continued to glare at Axel and put his hand on her shoulder. "Let's just go before you freak her out." He led her to the passenger's side and opened the door for Jasmine, letting her slide in before following suit. Axel shrugged his shoulders and got back in, putting on his seatbelt before speeding off down the street.

Jasmine seemed frightened by the speed at which they were traveling and she latched onto the seat. "Okay umm, Axel?" she asked weakly.

The redhead nodded his head while focusing on the road. "What's up Cat-Eyes?"

"Do you know how fast you're going?" Jasmine raised her eyebrow at the strange nickname but let that matter drop for now, more concerned with her safety.

"Ha," Axel smirked, "I'm the one driving so yeah, I know how fast I'm going."

Jasmine's jaw dropped. "Roxas, this guy is crazy…"

Roxas laughed and patted Jasmine's knee. "He's crazy, but he's the best friend you could ask for."

"Better a friend than an enemy," Axel chimed in. "So, where are we going Roxas? You never actually told me…"

"So we're speeding for no reason with no real destination in mind?" This came from the dark-haired school girl who nearly hyperventilated at the sight of the speed they were going.

Axel's head dropped forward a bit. "Roxas, calm down your girl. She's too wound up."

"Let's go to the South Side Mall," Roxas instructed, grabbing Jasmine's shoulder before she leaped over the seat to choke Axel. "And cool out man, Jasmine's gonna strangle you."

"Whatever you say man."

Jasmine leaned over and whispered to Roxas, "He's just like Riku."

"Nah, Axel's friendlier," he replied with a smile.

"So Jasmine," the redhead said as he turned onto the highway, "what brings you to the island?"

She shifted in her seat and tried to focus on something other than the speed they were traveling. "I wanted to go to a good school, not much to it."

"And your parents, were they okay with moving away just for one school?" Axel looked in the rear-view mirror and stared at Jasmine through that point.

She crossed her legs and looked out the window. "They stayed behind."

Roxas felt a coolness when Jasmine said this and became a little concerned. "You mean you moved in with Tifa and your parents stayed on the other island?"

"I thought you understood that when you went to my house and saw that I was living with Tifa," Jasmine said slowly and darkly.

Roxas backed off and Axel took over. "Ah, so your parents must really trust you and believe in you to let you go off on your own. They must be proud."

With that, Jasmine remained silent, fidgeting her fingers absently while watching the cars go by on the freeway. Feeling the heaviness in the car, Roxas shot a glare Axel's way and the redhead mouthed, "What did I do?"

"Well," Roxas broke the silence with his cheerfulness and Jasmine snapped out of her daze, "it doesn't really matter. We'll be there shortly, okay?"

Jasmine nodded her head but remained quiet for the remainder of the ride.

* * *

"This store is beautiful," Jasmine breathed as she and Roxas entered this specialty shop with jewelry and other trinkets. Everything sat on expensive crystal platforms and the white marble floor underneath with the overhead lights only made the items sparkle more. It almost seemed too perfect with how flawless everything appeared and only when Roxas tapped her shoulder did she focus on the task at hand.

"Uh, Jasmine," Roxas began, "snap out of it."

"Oh," she laughed to cover up her embarrassment, "sorry about that."

"No problem. Let's get to searching. I don't want to keep you out all night," he said with a smile while he grabbed her hand.

Jasmine followed behind closely but continued to stare at their hands, hoping desperately that he wouldn't turn around and see the startled look on her face. "So…Roxas? What did you have in mind for Naminé?"

"Well," he slowed slightly but hadn't taken his eyes off everything in the store, "Naminé is into simple things; nothing too flashy for sure."

"Which means you've narrowed down half the things in the store," Jasmine noted, looking at the watches in a case. "Is there anything besides art that she's into?"

Roxas paused and scratched his head, looking at the ground as he did so. "Well, her favorite colors are white and yellow."

"So maybe a bracelet with a crystal charm reflecting those colors?" Jasmine thought out loud, waiting for Roxas to reply.

After one long moment, Roxas' eyes widened and he grabbed Jasmine again, pulling her to the back of the store. "Now that you mention it, I did see something like that a couple of weeks ago." They passed several sales associates and made their way over to the bracelets and such. Roxas let her go long enough so he could search for the item he was talking about while Jasmine herself browsed the area. She fingered the price tag of a single charm and had to compose herself when she saw the price.

"By the way Roxas, you never told me what you wanted for your birthday," she began slowly, pulling out her wallet and skimming over the credit card her parents had given her.

"And Jasmine, I already told you that the only thing I want from you, is for you to come to my birthday party, no strings attached," Roxas said sternly while continuing to not face her.

"But Roxas, it's your seventeenth birthday," she argued weakly. "You've been a good friend to me."

His shoulders drooped with the sigh and he finally faced Jasmine. "Honestly, your presence is enough for me. Got it? If you get me anything I'll be pissed off."

Jasmine exhaled. "I didn't know you were this stubborn." As she turned, something caught her eye. Jasmine called Roxas over and pointed to a beautiful, white gold charm bracelet with three clear charms on it: a blue crescent moon, a yellow sun and what appeared to be a paintbrush on it with red at the tip.

"It's perfect," Roxas breathed.

Right above the bracelet was a white gold necklace with a large, crescent moon charm dangling from it. Not wanting to draw attention to it, Jasmine called over a salesperson. 'My parents are gonna be pissed when I buy this necklace.'

Roxas grinned as the salesperson brought out the bracelet. "Jasmine, you're a friggin' genius." And with that he wrapped his arms tightly around her. "Thanks so much for your help!" He squeezed her tighter.

Praying that he couldn't feel her heart beating through her chest, she returned the hug. "It's nothing really." And in her thoughts she added, 'Why do I feel this way whenever I'm around Roxas?' She pushed him back and pretended as if she was unaffected by his action. "Now handle business."

With that, Roxas started talking prices with the salesperson, stepping away from the area. Jasmine whipped out the credit card and stared at the necklace. 'Who cares what they say? Someone who actually cares deserves the best. Sorry Father.'

Jasmine called over another saleswoman. "I'll be needing your help right here."


	14. Chapter 14: Night of Frights

**Author's Note: **I swear I did NOT intend for this chapter to be so long! I just didn't see the point in actually separating it into two parts when the next chapter will probably have to be shorter (it's a biggie ^^). Let's get onto the story. I wanna thank the readers and reviewers **Tiryn, Sovereign Beta and animechick247 **plus everyone else who happened to read and fave this story. Seriously, i didn't expect to get such a good response and you guys are really making this enjoyable! Thanks again and please enjoy. Reviews are, as always, totally welcome. Thanks again!

-Skye

* * *

"Are you guys ready for the Halloween carnival tonight?" Selphie cried cheerfully as she set down individually made gift bags for everyone at their table at lunchtime.

"You bet!" Sora and Kairi cheered in unison, drawing attention to themselves as they did so.

Jasmine turned over the gift bag in her hand and examined the contents. 'Purple lip gloss, purple and black eye shadow, eyeliner, chocolates and a lollipop…she got my favorite color down pat.' With that she silently thought to herself of how the make-up would actually match her costumes.

"I'm glad we get out of school early for this thing," Tidus said with a wide, ear to ear grin.

"You're so lazy," Sora commented. "But even I'm happy about it."

"Which," Riku began slowly, sitting opposite of Jasmine as he usually did, "also means that you're as lazy as he is."

The brunette pouted. "Why must you kill my buzz today Riku? You know how much I love Halloween."

Riku laughed cheerfully and fluffed Sora's hair. "I'm just kidding man."

Jasmine watched the two go at it in a playful manner and sighed. 'Why can't he treat me half as good as he does his other friends?'

"By the way New Girl, what are you wearing for the haunted house?" Riku asked, not even bothering to hide his smirk.

She turned to the book on the table in front of her and sneered, "Wait til tonight jerk. You'll see it in what, five hours? Relax."

"Let me guess," Riku continued, setting his gloved hand on the table, "something ridiculous like a banana or a teddy bear? Am I right?"

Kairi picked though her vegetables with her chopsticks. "Not even remotely close Riku." She winked at Jasmine who sank in her seat and covered her eyes.

"So you've seen it already?" Tidus asked curiously.

"We went shopping together," Jasmine explained. "It was crazy."

"Well if you knew what you wanted it would have gone easier."

"Yeah, but I didn't expect to be shopping for Halloween costumes. It was insane what you put me through."

Kairi set down her food. "Well you'll be happy I helped. Besides you look great in it."

"I feel so exposed," Jasmine commented grimly.

The redhead brushed her off and returned to her food. "Don't be so negative Jasmine. I told you I'm gonna break you out of this conservative stuff."

Roxas pulled Jasmine up. "Now I'm really interested in what you're wearing."

Naminé sensed the discomfort coming from Jasmine and diverted the conversation to another subject. "And I'm gonna assume that you guys are all coming to the party, right?"

"Of course Naminé," Tidus replied. "Wouldn't miss it for the world; I even made sure that I didn't get grounded so I could go."

"That must have took some effort," Sora teased, earning a slap in the back of the head from the blond.

"I bet that hurt a bit," Tidus replied with satisfaction as Sora rubbed his aching head.

"You guys are so mean to Sora," Jasmine noted sympathetically. "He's a good kid."

Riku turned up his nose and crossed his arms over his chest. "Kairi, I think this girl likes Sora."

Kairi only rolled her eyes and giggled while a vein in Jasmine's neck poked out. However she composed herself and smirked. "Well what's not to like? He's adorable, humble, a total sweetheart…everything you're lacking."

"Ouch," Tidus winced at this comment, looking to Riku for a comeback. "Riku, I'm not even you and I felt that one."

When Riku finally replied, his whole attitude changed. "What makes you think I'm none of those things?"

"Well for starters," Jasmine shut her book and adjusted her glasses, "your constant insults and snide comments about me destroy the whole "sweetheart" thing. Then, from what I see, you don't seem that humble; you're about as cocky as it gets. So yeah," she nodded her head as she proved her own statement, "that's why I say all of that."

"I almost missed these little arguments," Tidus commented as he held in his laughter. Yet, when he looked to Riku, the silver-haired teen seemed affected by Jasmine's words.

"But," Jasmine added, leaning forward with a serious look on her face, "if you can argue this and prove otherwise I wouldn't be opposed to apologizing. Sincerely too."

"…Seriously?"

Although initially taken back by Riku's lighter tone of voice, she kept up the same exterior. "Of course. I have no problems admitting when I'm wrong."

On that note, Riku reached forward with his hand extended. "Fine then, you're on."

With a smile of satisfaction, Jasmine shook his hand. "Perfect."

The remaining people at the table all shared looks of disbelief, concern and excitement.

Tidus sighed, "This is gonna be the craziest Halloween ever."

* * *

The courtyard of the school was filled with children, teens and adults who took part in the Halloween festivities. Children in costumes ran around in costumes, searching for the next game with their parents struggling to catch up to them. The students of the school manned the booths and such, all dressed for the holiday. The girls wore costumes reflecting their job titles while the boys tended to dress in the colors for the occasion.

"Sora," Kairi called out over the crowd as he took money from a young girl, "how much have we made so far?"

"A lot!" he screamed, face turning slightly red as he got another glimpse of her in her witch's outfit. She looked perfect in his eyes; not revealing much but definitely cute and not too far out there in terms of contrasting her personality. 'But then again,' Sora thought as he collected money, "she always looks great.'

Kairi looked to Selphie who was busy making more cotton candy. "How are we doing back there?"

Selphie, who wore a witches costume just like Kairi except hers, was longer and the colors were yellow and black, grinned cheerfully. "We're probably gonna run out soon! We're doing so well!"

"I'd better go tell our homeroom teacher," Kairi thought out loud. "She'll be so proud!"

"Then when our shift is over," Sora yelled, "let's go through the haunted house! I hear it's pretty awesome this year."

"Okay," Kairi agreed. 'I wonder how Jasmine is doing. Her shift should be on in five minutes or so…'

* * *

Roxas stood at the doors to the entrance of the haunted house, decked out in a suit and tie and matching white gloves, waiting for Jasmine. Their homeroom had gotten exceptionally good reviews about the house, claiming that it was realistically scary with legitimate fear attached to it. The line to enter was surprisingly long, wrapped around the building with people still entering.

Riku, who was dressed exactly like Roxas with the exception of him favoring his trademark black gloves over the white ones, stood beside the blond. "Looks like we're gonna get a free day from school."

"Looks like it," Roxas said cheerfully. "I didn't think we'd get such a good turn out."

"Well," Riku reasoned, "when we ditch the idea of some crappy, over the top haunted house with realistic, genuine, simple scare tactics, that's how it got so popular. That fake stuff is what's expected and when people walk out looking like they're about to pass out, word gets around."

Roxas blinked in surprise. "I didn't know you were so good at scare tactics and stuff."

Riku watched a couple exit the house trembling and holding onto each other for dear life. "It's actually pretty interesting to me. You know, things that people don't understand or are scared of."

"Remind me to not let you pull any Halloween pranks," Roxas shivered at the thought and wondered when Jasmine was coming out. He had been prying all week of what she was going to be for the holiday and she wouldn't budge. He even went to Kairi who simply laughed and walked away as if she knew a secret.

"You guys can go now," a familiar voice said to two ghost-like student guides.

"Thanks Jasmine," the girl said cheerfully.

"Yeah," the boy said, "great costume by the way."

Both Riku and Roxas turned their heads to the direction of the voices and each took on mild shock in their own way. Jasmine waved to her school mates and walked over to the two while conversing with another girl who was to take part in the haunted house as a guide stationed at the back should anyone get lost. Jasmine wore a modified French maid's costume. The black top was off the shoulders while the white apron was used as a halter with purple lacing in the back like a corset. The flared out skirt in itself was actually a few inches above her knee, however, the slit on the left revealed much of her thigh but not too much to draw attention to herself from the school faculty. Her hair was straightened and the hat rested on the side of her head. To keep in the theme of the haunted house, Jasmine's make up was more ghostly than anything. Her lips were pale to the point of concern as to whether she belonged in a hospital. Jasmine had reasoned that for tonight's event, she should be careful so she left her glasses and settled for the contacts lenses she rarely wore. Her eyes though, had dark eye shadow with red undertones at the bottom to make her eyes look weary and yet all the same, the make-up made them startlingly noticeable.

"Wow," Roxas breathed as Jasmine approached them.

Jasmine patted the girl on the shoulder and she ran off to the back of the building to take her place. When Jasmine finally reached the two boys, she sighed. "Sorry to keep you waiting. My fault."

Neither one of them said anything for a fair, noticeable amount of time. Jasmine's eyes flickered from Roxas to Riku and she was confused by their silence. "What's wrong with you two?"

"Uh, nothing Jasmine," Roxas replied softly, praying that the dim lighting in the area would hide his blush. 'She looks…amazing.'

"No problem," Riku said politely, holding his own better than Roxas. He crossed his arms over his chest and faced the crowd of people before them. "You look nice."

Initially taken back by his kindness, Jasmine reasoned that he was acting this way because of their wager earlier. But even so, she appreciated it. "Thanks Riku. Are you guys ready to go in?"

"Yeah, let's keep these people from getting lost," Roxas said finally. Jasmine walked through the entrance first while Riku and Roxas followed closely behind, each having their own thoughts racing about the transfer student before them.

* * *

While Riku stood near the end of the maze, Roxas and Jasmine stood in front. They greeted them in an acted, eerie fashion and led them through a well-lit hall with countless picture frames and candles all around. They walked side by side and came to a pair of giant double doors. Once the pair turned to face their guests, they opened the doors slowly.

"Please move forward," Jasmine told them politely.

The crowd did as they were told. Three boys from the school took notice of Jasmine and leered at her, causing Roxas to send fierce, protective glares their way, making them silence themselves and return to the maze before them.

Although the path before them was pitch black with nothing to light their way, the crowd grew restless with excitement. Jasmine and Roxas gave each other furtive smirks, having known full well how quickly that raw excitement changes to fear.

The two guides picked up candles and led the group into the darkness. Once they had all stepped fully out of the light, Roxas snapped his fingers and the door behind them slammed shut with a powerful thud. The people looked around startled, feeling an unnatural cold chill in the air and huddled together close.

"Have fun," Roxas and Jasmine said darkly as they blew out the candles, disappearing in the darkness.

Within seconds, the crowd started screaming when their guides had left and the area illuminated itself. Not enough to see clearly, but enough to see some of the disturbing things in the haunted house.

Roxas had grabbed Jasmine's hand and led her to an empty room where they howled in laughter.

"Oh man I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they leave," Roxas cackled as he tried to collect his breath. But the sounds of more screams only made it that much harder for him to do so.

"Hey, if we're almost done, I say we go and see," Jasmine proposed as she leaned against the wall for support. "Isn't it kind of twisted that we're laughing at their freak outs?"

Roxas had managed to calm himself down and planted himself in a chair while Jasmine had stayed where she was. While she was looking towards the window and watched all the activity of the carnival outside, Roxas' eyes were unwillingly glued to her and the whole issue of what this attraction he had to her was soon becoming clearer and clearer.

"Are you having fun? You know, at this school?" Roxas asked distractedly.

Jasmine smiled slightly and slipped into a chair next to Roxas. "I am actually," she answered, smiling. "I haven't had this much fun in years."

"Years?" He questioned.

"I haven't celebrated Halloween in about three," She admitted sheepishly.

"Whoa, that's a long time," he said as he watched her rise and stand behind him. "What were you doing?"

"My parents had me locked up studying or at some meeting. They said I'm too old for this kind of stuff."

And Roxas was saddened by this. From what he was understanding so far, Jasmine had it harder than everyone of his friends combined with the way her parents pushed her. "You're still young; you have plenty of time for fun stuff."

"That's why I'm happy I'm here," Jasmine smiled and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, making the blond blush furiously. "I'm having more fun than I've ever had." She patted his chest and backed up. "Now it's time to get back to work. C'mon lazy." And with that Jasmine disappeared through the door and waited outside.

Roxas could still feel the warmth from where Jasmine had wrapped her arms around him and where she placed her hand over his chest. It sent a chill down his spine and his heart raced, wondering how long it had been since anyone made him feel this way. He pulled himself to his feet and stuck his shaking hands into his pants pockets, more afraid of Jasmine at this time than anything else this holiday could throw his way.

* * *

Naminé who was dressed in an adorable, white witches costume approached Roxas as he passed by the candy booth. "Are you having fun?" she asked sweetly.

"Actually I am," he answered cheerfully. "What about you?"

"I'm good, we actually keep running out of stuff," Naminé held up her car keys. "I'm gonna head off to the store in a few minutes."

Roxas pulled up his sleeve and looked at his wristwatch and saw that it was almost 11 o'clock at night. "But the carnival will be over in half an hour, why bother Naminé?"

"I'm the class representative Roxas," she said with a kind smile. "I have to do it or else it would be shirking my responsibilities."

The elder twin rolled his eyes in false annoyance, wrapping an arm around his sister. "You're such a goody-goody Nam. But hey, do what you have to do and hurry back, kay?"

Naminé shook her car keys and ran off. "Be back in 10 minutes!"

After she vanished, Roxas was then attacked by a hyper-active brunette with spiky hair and another blond of the same age.

"This is the best carnival ever!" Sora cheered loudly as he slapped Roxas roughly on his back.

"Man, I think this school is stepping up their game big time!" Tidus agreed in unison, also taking the chance to imitate Sora's attack on Roxas.

Roxas pushed the two away and grimaced in pain. "That's why they say not to let little kids eat too much sugar."

The younger boys looked at each other and broke out into a fit of laughter. "Roxas," Tidus began, "you need to suck it up and take it like a man. What would Jasmine think?"

And suddenly Roxas was on the defensive. "What does Jasmine have to do with any of this?"

"Don't play stupid Roxas," Tidus popped a chocolate ball into his mouth, "we all saw how you were staring at her. Don't deny it," he flashed a cheesy, all-knowing grin.

"So what?" His cheeks tinged red. "I'm working with her; I have to look at her don't I?"

"I don't think checking her out in that little French maid's costume is the same thing as what you're talking about," Tidus teased. "Although I won't admit it isn't a pretty sight."

Roxas' eyes narrowed and he balled his fists. "Watch it Tidus," he warned, "don't talk about Jasmine like that."

Sora noticed the edge in Roxas' voice and stepped in between the two. "Relax Roxas. Tidus is playing around. You know he respects Jasmine."

"Yeah," Tidus looked over Sora's shoulders, slightly startled by Roxas' sharp reaction to his joke, "she's awesome."

With an exasperated sigh, Roxas brushed off his jacket and headed back to the haunted house without saying anything to his friends. Sora and Tidus stared at each other for a long period of time before finally going off on their way.

"What do you think that was about?" Tidus asked finally.

Sora didn't respond but thought to himself, 'Guess I was right about how Roxas feels about Jasmine. He never freaks out like that over something that simple. He must like her more than he's aware.'

* * *

'That's so odd,' Jasmine stared at the entrance and then her cell phone. 'A group of people went in over thirty minutes ago but they didn't come out yet.' The carnival was to be over in fifteen minutes and Jasmine was getting worried. 'Looks like I'd better go in there and look for them. I think one of them was a child…' She ran over to the entrance and grabbed a flashlight off one of the tables, disappearing into the darkness.

As Jasmine walked through, she showed off her school ID so that way the classmates who were supposed to scare her stopped. Even she had to admit, if it weren't for the fact that she helped with the set-up and floor plan, this haunted house would have scared her. 'Hopefully we get that trip to Radiant Garden.'

At that moment, Jasmine heard a distinct, wailing that belonged to a child. She picked up the pace and ran for the direction of the voice, checking around dining room tables and chairs in an attempt to find the child. 'Poor thing, I know what it feels like to be scared and alone.'

A small table near a window covered creaked. Jasmine noticed the table cover flapping, then stand stiffly still, and she tip-toed over to the area, careful not to startle whoever it was underneath. "Sweetheart," she said softly, pulling back the cover as she bent down on her knees. Sure enough, it was a little girl cowering in fear with tears streaming down her face. "It's okay, I'm here now."

The girl wiped her eyes and looked up, appearing to be comforted by the fact that Jasmine wasn't another monster or specter patrolling the area. Without saying a word, she held out her hand and Jasmine pulled her from under the table.

"It'll be okay, I promise," Jasmine said as she pulled the child forward. Mentally she went through the length of the maze and reasoned that should the girl freak out, she'd most likely run and take off down the hall. "Do you want me to carry you?"

She nodded her head and held up her arms. Effortlessly, Jasmine scooped her up and she fast-walked to the nearest side exit. 'One down, a couple more to go. I hope I find them on the way out.'

A violent crash of glass rang through the area and Jasmine was positive that it wasn't part of the house. Luckily for the little girl, the side-exit was a few steps away and Jasmine took hold of the doorknob, twisted it and passed through. Another student manning the side spotted Jasmine and the child.

"Can you make sure she gets help alright?" Jasmine handed over the girl and the student looked quizzically at her.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

Jasmine stepped back into the haunted house and called out. "Some people are missing. I need to find them. I think they got lost."

Once she was back inside, she heard another crash. 'Don't tell me we've got some idiots who decided to get drunk or something.'

When she reached the area where she was certain she heard the crash come from, Jasmine spotted two young men of which she had never seen before. One had bizarre pink hair and the other had long sapphire blue locks. She cleared her throat and looked at the ground beneath them and there were shards of glass and remnants of a vase.

"Excuse me," Jasmine said sternly. "The carnival is almost over, I think you should leave."

The blue-haired man turned up his nose. "Marluxia, I believe she's speaking to you."

The one with the pink hair grinned maliciously. "It must be my lucky day being escorted out by such a beautiful young girl."

As the words, "beautiful young girl" rolled off Marluxia's tongue, chills ran down Jasmine's spine. "I'm asking you nicely, please leave. We're about to close up."

"Saix," Marluxia began slowly, looking Jasmine up and down, "are _you _ready to leave yet? I think I just found a new reason to stay."

Instantly Jasmine felt threatened and even though she still had a fair distance between herself and the two men, she still knew that there was the possibility that she could still be caught should a conflict arise. "I'm done asking you politely. _Get out _or I call security and you get dragged out. Then I get the pleasure of recording it on my phone and I get to upload it to the internet. It's your choice."

"Marluxia, leave her alone. She's in high school," Saix warned, heading towards the exit and avoiding Jasmine all together. "I'll meet up with you later."

As he left, Jasmine eyed the man carefully. "Smart man."

Saix disappeared down the normal pathway and Jasmine watched him carefully, ignoring his companion all together.

Bad move.

Marluxia appeared in front of Jasmine with an unsettling smile on his face. "So how old are you exactly?"

"Like it'll ever matter to you," Jasmine snapped, taking another step back. "Now get out."

"And you have an attitude to match," Marluxia continued to advance on her, forcing Jasmine to back up even more. He reached forward to touch her face and Jasmine slapped his hand away. "You know, I've never come across a girl like you."

"Congratulations," Jasmine said sarcastically, wondering if anyone would take her seriously if she screamed. 'I'm in a haunted house,' she thought darkly, 'like anyone will believe this is for real.'

Jasmine bumped into a corner and then she realized how much trouble she had gotten into. Marluxia placed his hands at her sides, boxing her in completely. "A pretty little French maid is supposed to do as she's told…"

'Damn it,' Jasmine swore mentally.

In that instant, Marluxia locked his hand over her mouth and pressed his body to hers, forcing her to be still with his strength. Jasmine struggled against him but when he punched her stomach, she became instantly winded. Marluxia forced her back against the wall and his free hand trailed her exposed thigh, rising higher until he reached her hip. "So I'm telling you now," Marluxia continued, whispering in her ear, "don't struggle and relax."

When Marluxia's hand reached the zipper on her skirt, Jasmine sent a kick to his crotch, doubling him over in pain and stopping him indefinitely. He toppled over and she fell to the floor. Without waiting for anything, Jasmine skidded to her feet and tried to crawl out of the way until Marluxia caught her ankle and yanked her back. She shrieked in pain when he sent another punch to that same spot on her stomach and crawled on top of her.

"Little slut," he cursed. He made another move for her skirt but this time, Jasmine clawed at his face once and tore through skin, causing him to cry out in pain.

With the advantage, Jasmine kicked Marluxia in the face and sent him flying over near the glass he had broken. She scrambled to her feet and ran away, slipping on the pieces of the vase and crashing again to the floor, cutting her arm deeply and hurting her ankle. But she pulled herself to her feet and Jasmine hobbled towards the nearest exit. Once it was in sight, she was knocked off her feet again but her head hit the wall.

"You know, I think I'm gonna enjoy this," she could hear Marluxia say.

'I'm screwed,' was all Jasmine could think about at the moment. Her head pounded and she found it hard to stay conscious. She heard Marluxia's footsteps coming closer and even though she knew it was useless, she let loose her loudest, shrillest scream and prayed that someone would believe that this wasn't just an average Halloween scare.

* * *

"Jasmine, wake up!" Roxas cried worriedly.

"C'mon," this time the voice was Selphie's, "you've got to wake up!"

Jasmine's eyelids fluttered and rebelled against the blaring white light from above. When her eyes finally focused, she saw that she was in some kind of room similar to that of a hospital. And when she was fully alert, she realized that she was in the nurse's office at the school. Jasmine tried to sit up but found herself forced back down onto what she believed was a cot.

"We're so glad you're awake," Kairi said with Sora nodding furiously at her side.

"How do you feel?" Naminé asked, sounding sincerely concerned.

"Like I fell down several sets of stairs and crashed into a wall on my way down. I feel peachy," she said dryly.

When she looked to her right, she saw Roxas beside her with the most torn up expression on his face. Seeing him though, put all her fears into check and she realized that she was alright. Everyone was there: Sora, Riku, Kairi, Selphie, Naminé, Roxas, even Riku stood at the door watching her anxiously. But upon remembering what happened, Jasmine shot up and she looked around in panic.

"Where is he? Where did he go?" Jasmine demanded. Roxas had to press her down on the bed again, being mindful of her bandaged arm. In the new light, she saw that he was no longer wearing his jacket and that it looked like his knuckles were scratched up. 'What happened to him?' she thought curiously.

"Calm down, it was all taken care of. You're fine," Roxas reasoned.

"Did security catch him?"

The group looked at each other with saddened expressions. It was Sora who spoke up first. "He got away."

"He must have slipped out from one of the side exits. Besides it was nearly pitch-black in the house. It's a good thing you knew the floor layout as well as you did," Selphie commented.

At that moment, Tifa appeared and rushed over to Jasmine's side. She wrapped her arms around the girl and held her tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

With her good arm, Jasmine patted Tifa's back. "I'm fine Tifa. A little dazed but I'm fine."

"Well we're going to take you home so you can rest," Tifa said gently. "Let's get you to the car."

Roxas, Sora and Tidus stepped forward. "Do you want us to carry her?" Tidus asked. "She hurt her ankle and we don't think…"

Tifa smiled and scooped Jasmine up in her arms with ease, shocking everyone in the room. "Don't worry I got it."

"Tifa's extremely strong," Jasmine laughed weakly. "She's got me just fine."

"I see that," Sora said in disbelief.

Roxas took hold of Jasmine's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Please take care."

"I will," she promised, waving goodbye to everyone in the room. As Tifa carried her out, she even waved to Riku who had discarded his suit jacket and wore his dress shirt. But as she passed by, Jasmine noticed that his sleeved were rolled up and there were several cuts on his exposed forearms. As he casually waved, Jasmine also noticed that there was blood on his sleeve.

Even as they left the nurses office, Jasmine continued to look back at Riku who returned to the group. 'What happened to him?'

But another question troubled Jasmine thoroughly, despite the pain coursing through her head and when she was in better health, she'd be sure to investigate it herself.

'...Who was the one who saved me?'


	15. Chapter 15: The Other F Word

**Author's Note: **I'm so happy that everyone seems to be enjoying this story. Yeah, I had to make the maid's outfit a bit revealing with the slit. Lol it caught Marluxia's attention XD And yeah, usually I see him as the more feminine kind of guy too but I thought, "let's try something new". Besides, Saix looks like he wouldn't even waste the time to mess with her and I honestly don't see too many other creeper members of the Organization who'd be willing to do that.

I wanna thank all the people who fave myself, the story itself and my reviewers for their input and responses relating to the chapter/(s). Its really nice when I get to see what you guys see. Thank you, **Queen Micky, Catalyna Cullen, Khaotic Kal, thedistraughtnobody, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Tiryn, Kanika Meskhenet and animechick247. **I've never gotten such a good response from a story so (yeah I'm repeating myself) Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

I'm gonna try to get out chapter of this story and _Those Who Fall Hardest_, by the end of the night. I think maybe I had too much sugar, but I'm on a slight sugar-high and the inspiration is kicking it big time. Take care and hope you enjoy the chapter!

-Skye

* * *

Jasmine sat on the edge of her bed, looking at the Halloween costume sitting in its plastic bad. Then she looked at her foot. From the incident last night, her ankle was throbbing constantly but she could still walk on it. Tifa was highly against the idea of Jasmine going out to the party, especially in light of last night's events. But that was one of the main reasons why Jasmine felt she _needed _to go to the party.

"I have to go," Jasmine decided as she reached for the bag. 'I have to figure this out. Roxas and Riku both seemed like they had a run-in with that pink-haired freak and I need to know what happened when I blacked out.'

When the costume was visible, Jasmine grimaced. 'I could do without having to wear another one of these though…'

* * *

"Happy birthday Roxas," Naminé cheered as she entered Roxas' bedroom, fully dressed for the party in a white, strapless dress reaching her knees and two-inch high heels. She ran over to her brother who sat on his bed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

Roxas eagerly returned the hug and held out a brightly colored gift box for her. Instead of taking it, Naminé gave him a quick once over and frowned when she saw that he wasn't dressed. "What are you waiting for? The party starts in an hour," she told him, taking a seat next to him on the bed.

"Oh," he scratched his head. "I guess I just let time slip on by."

Naminé set her gift in her lap and pointed to the doorway where a tall, bright blue wrapped box was waiting for him. "I hope you like your present," she said softly.

"I will, no doubt about it," Roxas said confidently, hiding behind a smile that his sister could see right through.

"What's bothering you, Roxas? You don't seem…_right _today if you know what I mean." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. He didn't reply but she leaned in closer, meeting his eyes despite his resistance.

Knowing that he couldn't fight his sister's gentle eyes, Roxas broke down and told her what was bothering him. "I'm worried about Jasmine."

Naminé shifted uncomfortably. 'Ever since she left last night, that's all he could think about.' She then said, "Jasmine is alright. I promise you Roxas. And it's a good thing you were there."

It took Roxas several, painfully long moments to respond. "I just want to see her Naminé. I don't know why it's so important to me."

With a sigh, Naminé said, "You don't understand why, Roxas?"

He looked up with curiosity, but Naminé just shook her head and grinned. She headed for the door with her present and winked. "I think I'll let you figure it out on your own. It'll be better for you in the long run and trust me, you'll appreciate it more. Now get dressed birthday boy. We have a party to host."

"But Nam—"She shut the door behind him and Roxas was left alone to his thoughts. 'Why does she always do that?'

* * *

With the party in full swing, it was quite a turn out. Possibly two hundred kids showed up for Naminé and Roxas' birthday party. Of course, as the usual trend, the boys didn't dress up but the girls really got into the spirit of the holiday. In their enormous home, the guest were scattered all around the first floor from the living room, to the den, to the patio and all out in the backyard around the pool. Decked out like a top-notch nightclub, the house was well decorated to fit the mood while lighting enhanced the atmosphere.

Selphie, who came dressed like a devil, tried to pull Roxas to the dance floor. "C'mon Roxas, it's time for you, to get off the wall and have some real fun!"

Politely, Roxas declined and took a spot on the rented sofa. "No, just go have some fun."

Selphie turned to Naminé and pouted. "Tell your brother to stop being such a buzz-kill and to have some fun. It's his seventeenth birthday party for crying out loud!"

Naminé simply smiled and pulled Selphie to the dance floor. "You can't force Roxas to do anything. Let the night go on and he'll find that he's enjoying himself."

Shooting his sister an appreciative glance before she disappeared with Selphie, Roxas returned to the sofa he was lounging on. A few minutes later, Sora, Riku and Kairi joined him, asking if he was having fun at his party. "You guys outdid yourselves on this one," Sora complimented, scanning over all the happy party-goers. "This might just be better than Homecoming."

Roxas shrugged his shoulders. "If you say so."

Riku frowned at this and leaned on the wall besides Roxas. "You need to get up and enjoy yourself," he told the blond. "Sitting here won't make the party any more exciting. Naminé's at least living it up and she doesn't party _nearly _as much as you do."

Roxas looked over to the dance floor and saw her dancing with several students from her homeroom. Her eyes were lit up and she seemed to glow in the crowd, stealing the spotlight as she should be. "This party should be for Naminé. She works hard for everyone else and she needs to enjoy herself."

Sora rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I get that. But it's a joint party. You guys are _twins_. Get up and dance with someone or watch people sing horribly at karaoke." He waved his arms wildly. "Just do something!"

Kairi stared at Roxas' blank expression. 'He's worried about Jasmine,' she reasoned. 'That's gotta be what's wrong with him.'

"Thanks for looking out for me you guys, but I'm alright, promise." Roxas picked up his soda and drank slowly while the trio disappeared into the darkness. 'At least I think so.'

* * *

Naminé appeared at Jasmine's doorstep, waiting anxiously for someone to answer it. Once Tifa reached the front, she seemed a bit startled by Naminé's appearance. "Hello, I didn't expect to see you here," Tifa said, obviously confused.

"Hi Ms. Lockhart, I was hoping Jasmine was home so that way I could take her to the party, is it okay if I..?"

Tifa let Naminé in and shut the door tightly behind her. When Tifa had locked the bottom lock, she smiled at the blond. "I really need to thank you for everything."

Naminé blinked in confusion. "Really? For what Ms. Lockhart?"

"You and your brother, Roxas, have made Jasmine really happy." Tifa and Naminé took seats on a sofa and got comfortable. "I don't remember her being this happy about coming to school ever, not in the years I've known her."

"Really?" Naminé wrapped a strand of stray hair around her ear. "She just seems busy."

Tifa's laugh was like wind chimes, beautiful and melodic. "Yeah, but she's got a lot of pressure on her. Usually, she's a lot more serious…"

'She can be more serious?' Naminé thought.

"But this is the thing about Jasmine which lets me know that she's happy," Tifa smiled. "She comes home every day, tired but refusing to show it, and yet even with all that going on she still has energy at the end of it all. And for saving her last night," Tifa placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and stared into her eyes with all sincerity. "I am eternally grateful. Jasmine couldn't give me all the details because she blacked out of course, but I do know that your brother had a helping hand. So I want him to come by so I can give him my thanks in person."

Naminé was stunned by Tifa's graciousness. It took her a few seconds to absorb everything but once she did, she couldn't fight the warmth in her chest. "Jasmine is our friend. We'd do anything to help her."

At that time, footsteps came down the stairs, ending the previous conversation. Jasmine slowly appeared, donning the outfit she and Kairi had picked out. Jasmine was a witch in black, white and purple. Her skirt was shorter than the one she wore last night, did not have the slit down the side (much to Jasmine's pleasure) but was still flared with white lace underneath. Her top was a black, halter corset with purple lacing in the back. She had managed to do her own make up and it came out better than she had expected. Black eyeliner and rich, royal purple shadow colored her eyes and a nude lip gloss painted her lips. Covering her legs were thigh-high stockings and, to keep from having any accidents with her sore ankle, she wore black, ankle high suede boots.

Jasmine adjusted her witch's hat and paused on the stairs when she saw Naminé sitting down with Tifa.

"What are you doing here? You should be at the party."

"I just came by," Naminé fingered a photo of Jasmine and Tifa at the beach. "How are you feeling? Roxas and I have been texting you to see if you were alright."

Jasmine laughed nervously and continued down the steps. "I'm sorry. I was asleep for most of the time."

"No worries," Naminé ushered her down the stairs. "I'm glad that you're dressed. We're having an emergency and we need you."

Jasmine's eyebrows furrowed. "What happened? Is everyone okay?"

Naminé grabbed Jasmine's free hand. "I'll explain it later when we get to the car."

When they reached the bottom, Jasmine handed Naminé her birthday present and held out her cell phone. She looked to Tifa and said, "I have my phone on me. If anything happens, I'll call you, okay?"

"You're so stubborn," Tifa closed her eyes, face fixed in an uncharacteristic frown.

"Tifa," Jasmine pleaded. "I promise I won't stay that long. I just need to figure some things out."

"And you believe that going will help you?"

"Yes," Jasmine replied, feeling the weight of the situation fully.

Tifa opened her eyes and finally, after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, opened her arms out and hugged Jasmine. "Well, at least you're not being too stubborn over something completely ridiculous. Do what you need to do." Her braided hair whipped over her shoulder when her eyes met Naminé's. "Watch out for her, please."

"Will do," she bid goodbye to Tifa and led Jasmine to the door, being ever so careful not to let her slip on the way out. Once they were gone, Tifa placed her hands on her hips and listened as Naminé's car revved to life.

"She's always on some kind of adventure. It's never boring having her around."

* * *

Jasmine was mildly frustrated when she got out of the car. For the entire ride, Naminé was silent, refusing to say anything about the last night's incident. The only thing she said regarding it was that she'd figure it out later and to let her drive. It made sense because Jasmine didn't think it would have been wise to distract the driver, but her own anxiousness was getting the better of her.

Once Naminé pulled into the driveway of her home, Jasmine fully understood that she lived in a different world from her friends. Their house was almost the size of a mansion as were all the houses in the neighborhood. Expensive, foreign cars she'd only seen in magazines sat in the driveway and even from Naminé's BMW, Jasmine could tell that the backyard was probably bigger than three of Tifa's houses.

"C'mon," Naminé opened Jasmine's door and helped her out of the car, locking it as they made their way up the stone driveway. "I told you we have an emergency."

"It would be nice if you told me what was going on," Jasmine remarked, still in awe at her surroundings.

"My brother…" Naminé's voice faded as she searched for the house keys. Once she unlocked the door, she helped Jasmine inside and returned to shut it back up. "Let's see if we can find him."

And so the pair crossed through the dance floor, Jasmine earning the occasional stares from the girls and glances of curiosity from the boys. A few of them stopped dancing and gossiped to one another.

"…so she managed to make it out of the house…"

"Did she know that guy?"

"Could he have been a crazy ex-boyfriend?"

Jasmine shut it all out and allowed them to talk amongst each other. Their conclusion jumping was the least of her problems at this point, but the subject they revolved around was dead on. She even thought about asking one of her friends who met her in the nurse's office, but Jasmine realized that she probably needed to talk to the two suspects: Riku and/or Roxas.

'Preferably the second one on its own,' Jasmine thought, trying to sort out her thoughts on how to approach things when the time came.

Naminé stopped for a second to talk to a girl Jasmine had never seen before. In that time, Jasmine found herself practically tackled to the ground by two very familiar underclassmen she had come to care for.

"I can't believe you're here!" Kairi cheered above the music.

Sora, who still had his arms wrapped around Jasmine, hugged her tighter. "Guess it takes more than some crazy psycho to keep you down."

"Sora, my ankle!" Jasmine exclaimed, wincing in pain while trying to manage a smile. Instantly, Sora let go while looking extremely sorry for hurting her.

"I didn't mean it! Honest!" His innocent blue eyes reflected sincerity and Jasmine couldn't possibly be frustrated at a face like that.

"I know that Sora," she scanned over all the guests and saw no one meeting Roxas' description. "Where is Roxas?"

Sora and Kairi looked to each other, expressions blank. "I haven't seen him for most of the night."

"I almost don't think he's down here," Kairi told Jasmine. "He looked pretty down the whole entire night."

Naminé glided over to Jasmine and pulled her towards the grand staircase. "He's up in his room. Let's go."

Jasmine allowed herself to be dragged along again. Naminé was careful in leading Jasmine up the seemingly endless steps, away from the party and to, what appeared to be the hallway with the bedrooms. Only to Jasmine's shock and chagrin, there was a whole other flight of steps and Naminé looked back apologetically.

'Note to me: if by some freak miracle I get rich, I will not have more than two levels,' Jasmine decided instantly when she and Naminé reached the third floor.

"So this is the floor with bedrooms? Right?"

The blond simply nodded. "The second floor is reserved for offices and guest bedrooms. This floor holds the main bedrooms, the game room for Roxas and my studio."

"You have a studio?" Jasmine tried to keep her voice even and unfazed, but it seemed as though the longer she was in their house, the more the difference of upbringing between her and her friends made itself clear to her. Not that Jasmine ever really felt she wanted or needed these things. The truth was that she was happy with the way things were with her and Tifa. And she'd seen the way money and power corrupted people.

Naminé stopped at a door near the end of a hallway and stepped inside, closing it behind her and leaving Jasmine alone to think about how she'd approach this. 'I can't flat out ask him if he saved my life. That'd be a bit awkward. I should probably say "Happy Birthday" first before I start trying to figure this thing out. Yeah,' Jasmine nodded her head. 'Just go from there.'

When Jasmine finished running through her thoughts, Naminé had returned to the dimly lit hall. "Go on."

Before Jasmine could say anything, Naminé had already made her way down the first flight of stairs. Knowing it would be pointless to try and catch up Jasmine took a deep breath and slowly pushed open the door.

Immediately her eyes bulged out when she saw Roxas' room. First off, it was probably bigger than her bedroom and Tifa's combined. The walls were a beautiful, scarlet with black and white accents in the furniture. On the far right wall where his king-sized bed sat, were probably close to a dozen snowboards and two dozen skateboards. On the far left corner with his desk and flat-screen television was a stereo system that could rival any concert hall. Bookshelves having more CDs than anything spread out across the remaining wall space, and photographs were plastered everywhere else.

Jasmine spotted Roxas sitting on a lounge chair under the window and she had to admit how great he looked for his birthday party. He wore nice jeans with a silver chain hanging from the belt loops, a white dress shirt and a dark gray blazer. His hair was spiked more wild than usual, but for him it worked perfectly. His slight bangs hid his gorgeous blue eyes that were focused on his cell phone. Roxas didn't even notice Jasmine walk in. She closed the door carefully so that it didn't make a sound and she fiddled with her fingerless gloves.

"It looks like you're waiting for a call," Jasmine teased lightly. She tapped the heel of her boot against the floor, looking off to the side.

Roxas' eyes left the phone and fell on Jasmine. He stood up, eyes wide with surprise but he made no attempt to move forward. "Y-You're here…"

She leaned against the wall and grinned. "Obviously I am. Happy birthday, Roxas."

Yet, Roxas was still frozen in his spot. 'How does she _always _manage to look so hot in these Halloween costumes?' He thought, shamelessly running his eyes up and down Jasmine in her outfit.

"Naminé came over and told me that something was wrong," Jasmine's voice was a little less easy, more serious. "Are you alright? Is there anything you want to talk about?"

Finally Roxas moved. When he made it to where he was within five feet of Jasmine, his eyes shyly hit the floor. "The real question is, are you okay? You know…after last night?"

Jasmine laughed and tried to meet his gaze. "Roxas, it's gonna take more than some creep to keep me down. I'm fine."

"Maybe you should be home resting," Roxas' voice trailed off as if the statement was more of a thought than anything.

Slightly frustrated by his refusal to look her in the eye, Jasmine tilted his head up carefully with one hand and forced him to look at her. "I made a promise to come to your party, even empty handed which is a major NO in my books, and I did. We're friends."

Roxas swore loudly in his mind at the situation he was in. It was just himself and Jasmine, alone in his bedroom on his birthday, with her in an adorably hot costume and he could barely breathe because of his heart's rapid, almost insane beating. He knew his face was probably cherry red and that it was probably burning hot.

"Are you okay?" Jasmine stepped closer, her eyes reflecting nothing but pure concern.

After sighing and shaking off his nerves, Roxas took a leap and embraced Jasmine where she stood. "I'm better now," he whispered into her ear, tickling the side of her face.

Beneath Roxas' shirt, Jasmine could swear that she could feel his heart beating hard and strong against her own chest. This closeness with any boy was something she was new to. Well, Jasmine had hugged her friends like Sora and Tidus and the like, but in such an intimate situation, she had to wonder why everything felt so…foreign.

"Do you wanna go down to the party?" She asked weakly, noting that her lips brushed barely against his neck.

Roxas nearly shook with the chills when Jasmine's soft lips grazed him. "We can stay up here if you want. I don't need to go down there." He pulled back and like a gentleman, led her over to a comfortable sofa near his CD collection. Once she was comfortable, Roxas took a place beside her.

"You know I have to ask," Jasmine leaned against an armrest and eyed Roxas carefully, "Why aren't you enjoying your own birthday party? From what I've seen, it's pretty awesome."

He hid his eyes by looking away. There was something slightly bizarre about Jasmine's gaze. Roxas felt like, if he just happened to get caught in it, he'd spill out everything without hesitation. And considering his confusion, he thought that it would be best to try to avoid the potential trap. "You're gonna think it's really lame."

"Huh," the ebony-haired teen crossed her legs, "try me. You might be pleasantly surprised."

Roxas hesitated for a moment, carefully choosing his words. "I was worried that you might have been more hurt than what we saw last night. You were almost…"

"Yeah, I know what _almost _happened," Jasmine said simply, appearing as if she wasn't fazed at all. "And I really do appreciate that you care Roxas." She took his hand in hers and laced her fingers with his. "Really, it means a lot that I have people who _actually _care about me. Which is why I have to know, what exactly happened last…?"

Jasmine's phone, which she had stuck in her boot when she sat down, vibrated and caused her to jump. She reached for her phone and broke away from Roxas, answering it without looking at the caller ID. "Yeah….it's not a good time….oh so you saw it?"

Roxas noticed that Jasmine's voice had taken on an almost flat, yet acidic-hidden tone, even worse than what she had given Riku whenever they argued.

"It was important so that's why I did it….I am well aware of what I'm _supposed _to be doing….I really have to go. Bye," Jasmine said flatly, shutting off her phone completely before setting it down on the sofa.

"Are you okay?" Roxas asked, his hand slowly creeping towards hers.

Jasmine shrugged her shoulders. "It's not important, trust me."

"You sure?" He slipped his hand in hers. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Not really," she replied flatly. In just under a minute, Jasmine's mood had drastically changed although she did not allow it to show. The call irritated her and now, her train of thought was gone so she couldn't even remember what she was saying previously. "It's okay."

One thing Roxas hated, was not being able to figure out what was going on with the people around him. Usually, people were easy to read, to almost dissect in a way. Jasmine however was very different. She always had a certain amount of control over everything she said, her actions, even her body language and facial expressions. Because of this, Roxas felt a certain amount of distance between the two of them and even though they seemed relatively close, they were still far apart.

"Well I hope whatever it is, sorts itself out for you," Roxas hoped his words would cheer her up. When Jasmine smiled at the statement, his heart fluttered.

"Thank you Roxas," automatically, Jasmine secured her arms around Roxas, causing the blond to stiffen at the act, "you're such a good friend."

It was at that moment, Roxas had come to realize how much he hated it when Jasmine called him her "friend". Strangely, even as he smiled down on her, it didn't seem...enough anymore to make him happy.

* * *

"Man, I can't believe you took out that pink-haired creep," Sora said to Riku as they sat back, watching the party from afar.

"Why are you so shocked?" Riku looked at his gloved hands, noticing that the cuts he had sustained from the fight were very much visible. "I'm not some little boy who can't defend himself."

Sora popped a bite-sized Snickers candy into his mouth, smiling as he chewed. "You know I didn't mean it like that. We all know you can take down guys; that wasn't a question."

"At least Jasmine is okay," Riku thought out loud, sighing heavily.

"Remind me again, how exactly did it go down?"

Riku leaned his head against the wall, watching his fellow classmates dance. "I was working the back of the house, just to make sure that no one got lost. Then it was quiet and I heard someone screaming…"

Sora's eyes widened with curiosity. "But it was a haunted house, how did you know something was actually wrong?"

"There was something about _that _scream that was a little unsettling," Riku replied firmly. "So then I checked it out and saw Jasmine on the floor with some freak standing over her. After that I pretty much figured out what was going on and handled it."

"Guess that makes you a hero," Sora patted his friend on the back. "Maybe now you and Jasmine will get along a little better."

Sora expected some kind of grunt or reply from Riku, but his friend was busy staring off into space in his own world. "I mean, I know you'd do that for anyone," Sora continued, hoping to get some kind of response, "but with this situation, you don't even like Jasmine so this might actually smooth things out."

"I don't dislike Jasmine," Riku said finally.

"Uh, then why do you pick on her all the time?" Sora asked, a little taken back by Riku's response. "I mean, you guys are always fighting. I don't get it."

"Think about it Sora: how many people actually fight back with that kind of spirit? Jasmine is a lot of fun," he smirked wildly and waved to the girls who passed by. "So don't think that I hate her."

"Wow, well then are you gonna tell her that you're the one who saved her? I think she wants to know what's going on," Sora grabbed another Snickers miniature candy and tossed it in his mouth, smiling and chewing at the same time.

"If Jasmine wants to know, she's gonna have to come up and ask me herself."

"Don't mess with her. Jasmine might actually be the one to punch your lights out," Sora warned, imagining the new girl knocking out one of the toughest guys in the school. He saw the devilish smirk on Riku's face and knew right off the bat that a lot was about to change within their group.

Riku rolled his eyes and dismissed the idea. Even so, the whole thought of admitting what happened might actually change their relationship status. Riku didn't know what to expect, but he welcomed it as a challenge, almost as if it were a game. But even Riku had to admit that Jasmine was a wild card he never ran up against before.

'Oh well, this is nothing I can't handle. I'm just gonna run with this til the end. It won't get serious and no one will get hurt.'

At least, that's what he hoped for.


	16. Chapter 16: Mommy Dearest

**Author's Note: **Didn't think it'd take this long to update. I'm gonna hurry up and get straight to it. I'm glad everyone seemed to like the last chapter. Lol I'm kind of a fashion freak so if I start going into details of costumes, please forgive me XD I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed: **animechick247, Sovereign Beta, Tiryn **and **Khaotic Kal.** Hopefully everyone will enjoy this chapter. It's a confrontation that everyone has been asking about. Reviews are welcome, enjoy and take care!

-Skye

* * *

Roxas waited anxiously for Jasmine to arrive for homeroom that Monday. While he had to mark down certain assignments in his agenda and fill in his schedule for projects, he couldn't keep his eyes off the door for more than twenty seconds. He knew he was being neurotic, but at this point, Roxas didn't care. His mind was filled with fond memories of his new romantic interest and the night of his birthday where they spent most of the time together in his room.

_Flashback_

_Roxas watched Jasmine examine his skateboards and snowboards, running her fingers along the designs. She found one in particular that she liked: a silver and white snowboard with intricately designed snowflakes. He smiled at her natural curiosity. _

"_Have you ever been snowboarding before?" He asked kindly._

_Jasmine looked over her shoulder and laughed, sounding embarrassed. "I _really _don't get out. The closest I've ever been to snowboarding is standing near a skateboard when it was cold outside."_

_Roxas chuckled loudly, causing Jasmine to pout. "I can't lie, that's pretty sad."_

"_I'm sorry. It's not like I was ever out with my family or anything for that kind of stuff." Jasmine turned her back to Roxas and continued admiring his collection. Roxas stood up and walked over to her, placing his hand on the board Jasmine had been so infatuated with. _

"_I can fix that," Roxas said softly._

_Jasmine's hand fell to her side. "Explain…"_

"_I'll take you up to the mountains myself," Roxas proposed. _

_Jasmine seemed rather taken back by Roxas' idea, almost stunned in fact. "Do you mean it?"_

_Roxas placed his hand on her back and smile. "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it Jasmine."_

"_Hey, if you wanna drag me up to the mountains so you can watch me go flying down it, then be my guest," Jasmine grimaced at the thought. "But hey, it's on you," she poked his hard abdominals, "if I end up in a full body cast."_

"_You can bill me," Roxas grinned mischievously and returned the poke to Jasmine's side, making her jump. _

"_Don't do that!" Jasmine wrapped her arms around her torso. _

"_You shouldn't have said anything." On that, Roxas snatched Jasmine in his arms and tickled the very spot she was protecting. Despite her bad ankle, she made several good attempts to get away from him. But even so, Roxas was stronger and quicker. He kept his tight and soon, Jasmine was gasping for mercy between breaths. _

"_I-I'm done! P-Please stop, R-Roxas!" _

_Roxas gave in and the two collapsed to the floor, with Jasmine falling on top of him due to her leaning on her bad ankle. Their eyes locked for a moment, with Roxas' brilliant blue orbs holding fast to Jasmine's fierce hazel orbs. _

_End Flashback_

'Too bad she had to go home,' Roxas thought, playing with the edges of his agenda.

Jasmine entered the classroom exactly one minute before the final bell rang, something highly unusual because she was almost always in class before everyone else. Today, even Riku had arrived before she did.

'Something's wrong.' Roxas examined her face carefully. There was neither a smile nor frown, but a hard, severe expression he couldn't place. Wordlessly and without looking at anyone, Jasmine slipped into her seat as the bell rang off, keeping Roxas from being able to talk to her.

Their homeroom teacher stood up from his seat and began going over the events of the carnival, leaving out the part about Jasmine's encounter all together. "You guys did a marvelous job. We set a new record for sales and so our homeroom will be taking that one day vacation."

While the rest of the class cheered at the prospect of a day off, Jasmine stayed focused on the blank whiteboard behind the teacher. Roxas noticed this and stealthily took out his cell phone, sending Jasmine a text message. He heard the soft vibration of her phone, noticing that it sat in her lap and glowed. However, either she was so deep in thought that she wasn't aware of her phone going off, or she was ignoring it altogether.

"To make this fair and easy, in the next few days our class is going to decide on which day we'll be taking the trip. It would be wise to take one after Thanksgiving because right after that, before Christmas break, we'll be having finals and I know you all can use the time to study," Mr. James advised. "You guys can take the rest of the period to talk. Just make sure you keep in mind that other homerooms are busy working."

As soon as Mr. James returned to his desk, the classroom came to life and everyone broke off into their own groups. Jasmine still seemed to be lost in her own world and it took Roxas' three times to call her name before she actually snapped back to the present.

"Jasmine, what's wrong with you? Are you okay?"

She didn't even try to hide her displeasure but tried to ease his troubled mind anyway. "Today's not so much of a good day," she said frankly.

Roxas shifted in his seat. "Is it something you want to talk about?"

"Not really," she replied tiredly, adjusting her glasses on her face. "Maybe I'll explain it later."

Feeling slightly rejected, Roxas agreed to leave her alone and sat at his desk, trying his best not to let his thoughts show through. 'I wonder what happened. Did I do something wrong?'

* * *

Tifa sat at her dining room table, working on some paperwork for Seventh Heaven. However, the young restaurant owner couldn't stay focused for very long because her young charge had entered the kitchen. Tifa looked up and smiled blandly.

"Don't you look…conservative," Tifa analyzed Jasmine's latest outfit. While Jasmine was at school, it was dropped off at their house with a note attached stating specifically that it was to be worn. Jasmine followed the directions to the letter. She donned the outfit, which was a knee length pink dress with a matching blazer and medium-height pumps. Jasmine's hair was pulled back into a neat, higher up bun with her bangs pulled back off her face.

Jasmine looked at her now plain fingernails and frowned, sliding her glasses on. "Just shoot me now, Tifa. I'll say I did it."

The brunette set down her pen and scooted back in the chair. "And lose the best roommate I ever had? Fat chance."

Two men in black suits entered the kitchen. One of them was pale, lanky and had long, flaming red hair tied into a ponytail. The other was a man with a darker complexion, a shaved head and sunglasses. The redhead whistled sharply and moaned.

"C'mon Jasmine, we don't have all day," he called.

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Reno, can't you just be like most bodyguards and stay _silent_?"

The other bodyguard stepped up before the fuming Reno had a chance to approach the girl. "Ms. Jasmine, would you please come with us?"

Jasmine grimaced and patted Tifa on the shoulder. "I'll text you when this is over."

"Take care honey," Tifa called, bidding farewell to the men as well.

Jasmine took the lead out of Tifa's home and into the sleek black car that sat out front. Reno walked ahead and opened the door for Jasmine. "How come you never give Rude these kinds of problems?"

Once Jasmine was in, she strapped in her seatbelt as the door closed. Reno and Rude took their places, with Reno at the wheel and drove off. "Truth be told, it's easier to get under your skin," Jasmine replied with a smirk. "Rude is a lot calmer, and you're just…you."

Reno couldn't help but laugh. "It's been a while, I almost forgot about that edge of yours."

"How have you been Rude?" Jasmine asked.

"I've been fine Miss," he replied. "We'll be at the restaurant shortly."

"Good," Jasmine crossed her legs. "The sooner we get there the sooner I get this over with."

As she let her mind drift, Jasmine had to admit that she was actually glad to see Reno and Rude. It had been at least two months without word from either of them. And despite the hard time she gave Reno on a regular basis, she was quite fond of them.

When the car came to a stop, they arrived at an expensive restaurant overlooking the ocean. Reno and Rude handed the valet the keys and opened the door for her. Jasmine stepped out and headed up the stairs leading into the restaurant with Reno and Rude at her sides. Once the trio entered, they discovered it was an extremely high-class restaurant where only the wealthy and affluent dined. Businessmen, politicians and other upper-class socialites sat and soaked in the atmosphere while the pianist played music that would normally make Jasmine fall asleep within twenty seconds.

Reno nudged Jasmine in the arm and led her to the center of the restaurant near the pianist. At the table sat a woman in a designer black suit with the same skin tone as Jasmine, the same dark hair but with dark brown eyes. She appeared to be typing something on her cellular but stopped abruptly and rose out of her seat.

"My dear F—"

Jasmine raised her hand, stopping the woman immediately. "It's _Jasmine_ Mother," she stressed, "for the twentieth time. The only person who calls me by my first name is Father."

"Miss Sophia," Rude interrupted, "we'll be waiting for Jasmine upon her return."

Sofia waved the two off and Reno patted Jasmine's shoulder on his way out in an attempt to put her at ease. Once the two were gone, Jasmine found herself standing face to face with her mother for the first time in months. Sofia motioned for her daughter to sit and she complied without a word.

"I don't know why you hate pink so much," Sofia remarked. "You look positively amazing." She took a sip of what was surely wine in her glass and set it back down in front of her.

Jasmine tried her best not to roll her eyes. "It's still my least favorite color; that hasn't changed since I was little." She noticed that she had her own glass of wine before her.

Sofia noticed Jasmine eye the beverage and grinned. "Go ahead," she told her, "you've been drinking it since you were 15."

'Whooptie friggin' doo,' Jasmine thought as she carefully took a drink from the glass, 'I'm gonna be 17. She makes it sound like I've been drinking since I was seven.' Once Jasmine set the glass back down she stared her mother in the eye. "I know you and Father saw the credit card bill," she began slowly, with a biting undertone, "that's why you called me out to this place."

Her mother's smile disappeared into a frown. "You know _Jasmine,_ you could be a little more pleasant."

"Yes, the idea is quite possible," Jasmine thought out loud.

"Watch your mouth," she snapped lightly.

"And why isn't Father here?" Jasmine looked around the restaurant in mock sadness. "He won't be joining us, will he?"

Sofia tapped a scarlet nail against the table. "He sincerely apologizes, really Jasmine."

'As if I really buy that crap.'

"But yes, we do need to talk about that, among other things." Sofia straightened up in her chair. "Your grades came in; you have straight A's again in all your classes." She stared at her phone which lit up, signaling a new message. "Perfect. Because you know that if your grades slip, your scholarship goes with it."

Jasmine took a long, steady drink from her glass. "That's not going to happen," she said firmly.

Sofia caught sight of a cut on Jasmine's forearm. "What happened to you?" She grabbed Jasmine's wrist. "How did you manage to do this?"

"A little accident on Halloween," Jasmine finished the wine and set the empty glass on the far end of the table. 'I'm gonna guess that she has absolutely no idea of what happened. Hmm, better keep it that way.'

"Halloween?" Sofia laughed mockingly. "What were you doing out on Halloween?" And then her eyes turned sharp. "Why weren't you working?"

Jasmine exaggerated her eye rolling by rolling her head. "Well Mother, a portion of my school activities include participation. I had to work at a haunted house."

"And look, you scarred yourself in the process," Sofia shook her head. "That's not very attractive in the least."

"So what? It'll heal, the least you can do as my parent is ask if I'm okay," Jasmine muttered bitterly. "Or," she gave Sofia a fierce, half-lidded stare, "is that too much for you?"

"Jasmine," her mother began wearily, "I don't know why we always go through this every time we meet. You know I love you…"

As painful as it was, Jasmine had to admit that the words sounded hollow.

"As for the credit card," Sofia said, "why did you spend two hundred dollars on a necklace?"

"It was a birthday present for a dear friend. I saw it, I knew she'd like it, and I bought it. Simple as that."

"Your father is quite upset."

"That gift was for a friend who, unlike my parents, was there for me."

Sofia sighed heavily. "It was your choice to go to that school. You left on your own."

Jasmine had enough. She rose from her seat, eyeing the glass of her mother's red wine. "I'm sorry, but I can't take it back. He'll have to bill me later."

"Your attitude has gotten worse since you've been at that school," Sofia barked.

"Really?" Jasmine snatched her mother's glass and downed the alcohol like it was nothing. "I'd say it's improved greatly. I'll call later…." Jasmine speeded to the exit, turning back in hopes that her mother would chase after her, to talk so they could work things out. But she was sadly disappointed when Sofia sat there on her cell phone, totally engulfed in her own world.

'Or maybe I won't call later. It wouldn't make a difference anyway.'

* * *

Jasmine flopped onto her bed as she threw her blazer and shoes into a corner of her bedroom. She smothered her face into the pillow and moaned, muffling the sound indefinitely. 'I hate visiting my mother.'

Tifa sat on the edge of Jasmine's bed, flipping through the television channels. "You drank again, didn't you?"

"She just put it out in front of me," Jasmine tilted her head up so that she could look Tifa in the eye. "You know she's had me on that crap for over a year; she said wine was good for the body or something. I don't know."

"I'm still trying to figure out why in the world no one at that restaurant busted Sofia for allowing you to drink," Tifa seemed irritated, something that was rare. "You're a minor."

Jasmine groaned. "Money makes the world go around. Besides, I'm gonna guess that no one actually cared."

Tifa stroked Jasmine's medium-length hair back. "At least you can handle your liquor," she laughed hollowly.

"Watch, with my luck I'll have a hangover tomorrow." She gripped the sheets of her bed tightly. "I'm sorry Tifa."

"Don't be sorry," Tifa pulled Jasmine into her arms and rested her chin on the latter's head. "I know that dealing with your parents is stressful, really I do."

Jasmine loved the way Tifa held her. It felts like, long as Tifa had her in her arms, she was always safe no matter what. "How in the world did you and my mom stay friends after all this time? I mean, you two are nothing alike."

Tifa sighed and continued to stroke Jasmine's growing hair. "Sofia wasn't always like this. We grew up together and she was just a kind-hearted individual. She isn't that far off from that person, but I guess with everything she goes through she just…" She shrugged her shoulders while searching for an answer, "…changed with her surroundings."

"Well who she turned into sucks," Jasmine growled.

"I can't tell you to not think about because I know that's not possible. The best thing for you to do is surround yourself with good people so that you can be happy. You have great friends who don't seem to be spoiled by money and that's wonderful. Naminé and her brother Roxas are amazing, plus everyone else I've had the pleasure of meeting."

Jasmine flinched when she felt a soft vibration against her hip. She looked over and saw that she had rolled over on her phone, and that she had a text message waiting. Once the phone was in hand, Jasmine's eyes widened. 'Roxas texted me three times?'

"Is that the blond boy?" Tifa asked.

"How'd you know?"

"Jasmine, are you even mildly aware of your surroundings?" Tifa released the girl and headed for the door to give her some privacy. "Just answer his calls."

Once Tifa was gone, she opened up the first message. It was sent early in the morning around the time that they were in homeroom.

"_Are you alright? You look pretty down."_

She saved the message and skipped to the next one which was sent during lunch when she had been at the library.

"_Jasmine, what's troubling you?"_

'I can't believe I didn't answer my phone all day.' Jasmine gripped the phone tightly and hung her head. 'He must think I'm avoiding him now.'

She came to the third and final text which was just sent a minute ago. Jasmine took a deep breath and opened the text.

"_Please tell me that you're okay. Did I do something wrong?"_

Jasmine flung herself back into her pillows. 'Now he thinks I'm mad at him! Holy crap I screwed up.' With that, she dialed his cell number, waiting anxiously for his phone to pick up. Jasmine kicked her feet against her bed and bit her lower lip. It finally clicked and Jasmine's heart skipped a beat.

"_Hey this is Roxas. You know what to do."_ And then came an obnoxiously loud beep that signaled the start of the voicemail. Jasmine hung up the phone and stood up. 'Maybe he doesn't want to talk to me. And hey, with the way I acted I can't blame him.' She held onto her phone and slipped on the pink heels from earlier. She carefully took her time down the stair since she didn't want to re-injure her ankle and made her way to the front door.

However, Jasmine didn't even step out onto the porch good without practically falling over the person standing on her doorstep. She stepped back and apologized repeatedly, bowing her head as she did so. A light, nervous chuckle caught her attention and she looked up, eyes widened in shock.

"Roxas?" And sure enough the blond who had been on her mind for so long was at her home.

"Hi Jasmine," Roxas ran his hand through his wild hair, only to have it fall back into place. "What's up?" He gave her a quick once over and she self-consciously folded her arms over her chest. "You look…pink."

"I hate this color," she mumbled.

"It's definitely different," Roxas stated. "Kind of conservative though, don't you think?"

Jasmine gave a shaky laugh. "Not something I would have picked out."

Roxas walked back to his car and asked for Jasmine to follow him. He opened the passenger's door for her and once she was seated, closed it and hopped into the driver's seat. They didn't move; the car was shut off. They just sat in an uncomfortable, heavy silence.

"I got your texts," Jasmine said finally, unable to stand the weight of the air around them. "I'm sorry, Roxas."

Roxas shifted in his seat and turned to face her. "For what?"

"For not answering you," she replied, leaning away from him. "It was inconsiderate and rude. I guess I was just in my own world."

He gripped the steering wheel and found himself struggling with this. It was so much easier to talk to everyone else in his group. Sora, Riku, Tidus, Selphie, even Kairi was easier to talk to than Jasmine. It always felt like there was some sort of wall between them, making it hard to have a serious, open friendship. 'Why can't I talk to this girl?'

"But Roxas, why would you drive all the way _out here_ without knowing if I was gonna be home? It would have been a serious waste of your time."

Every time she spoke, it was like his heart decided to race. This fact did nothing for his inability to speak at the moment either. "Because," he said shyly, hiding his blush by looking away, "I just wanted to try and see you. I wanted to know if you were okay or not." His knuckles were practically white from squeezing the steering wheel at this point.

Jasmine saw this and laughed, prying his right hand from the wheel. "It looks like you're trying to rip off the wheel." She took his hand in hers, noticing for the first time how rough they were.

'Why is it getting harder to breathe?' Roxas asked himself.

"I had an incident with my parents. I'm in trouble; didn't get grounded though," She ran her fingers over his, absently letting her hand-fetish get the best of her.

'Really hard to breathe…' Roxas watched her carefully, silently hoping that she would stop but wishing that she wouldn't let his hand go.

"Let's just say that we don't get along very well and whenever I do see them, it usually ends up being a fight," she continued on. "My mom picked this out for me and practically forced me to wear it." Jasmine sighed.

"Umm, w-what happened?" Roxas was trying to find any distraction to keep his mind off Jasmine's actions but it wasn't working so well.

Jasmine froze and let his hand go. "That's a long story. Maybe I'll tell you later?"

A slight shiver went down his spine from the sudden lack of warmth. "Whatever makes you feel comfortable. I won't pry."

"I appreciate it Roxas, but," she turned his head so that he was facing her, "you gotta learn how to look people in the eye."

Feeling a strange sort of confidence, Roxas placed his hand over Jasmine's. "I'll work on that. Now are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good." When she talked, Roxas detected something bizarre.

"Jasmine, I hate to ask this…but were you drinking?"

She flinched back and covered her mouth. "I'm so sorry! When me and my mom get together, she always has me try some wine."

Roxas shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not saying that your breath reeks, I'm just saying that I can smell it."

"I promise you," her head drooped and she covered her eyes, "I don't drink."

It was Roxas' turn to surprise her. He grabbed her hand, which was amazingly soft, and intertwined their fingers. "I honestly don't care as long as you promise you won't let yourself get wasted."

"Yeah, that's about the most unattractive thing anyone can do," Jasmine agreed, staring at their hands. "And I do not allow myself to get anywhere _near _that state. With my luck, I'd end up in some random, crappy motel with some creepy old guy lying in bed next to me."

Roxas made a face. "That's pretty sick Jasmine. I'd rather _not _picture you in that situation. Change it a little bit, please?"

"I'm telling you," Jasmine's voice was hardened. "I have _seriously _bad luck."

"Change it please?"

"Fine, how about I don't end up with some random, creepy old guy?"

"…getting better. Go on."

"And I did not end up in some crappy motel?"

"I'm _seriously _not trying to picture you having some freaky one-night stand with somebody. It feels weird. But I guess we'll keep working on that whole scenario later."

Jasmine smiled for the first time today. "Fair enough. Thanks for coming by to check up on me Roxas."

For the slightest moment, Jasmine could have sworn she saw his beautiful blue eyes sparkling. "Any time." Before she could get out of the car, he yanked Jasmine into a tighter than average hug. "I'm always here for you."

Hesitating slightly, Jasmine returned the hug and found herself smoothing his hair at the nape of his neck. "Thank you, Roxas."

"Always, Jasmine. For you."


	17. Chapter 17: Welcome Home

**Author's Note: **Being confined to my room really gets the inspirational juices cookin' lol. I'm gonna cut straight to the chase: I'm glad everyone enjoyed the chapter and in this one, I'm gonna introduce another character to the story. I'm sure you all will know who this person is based on the description. I wanna thank **Khaotic Kal**, **animechick247**, **Catalyna Cullen and Sayonara Yasashii Akumu **for the reviews, as well as the readers and those who fave for all the support. You guys are amazing! Enjoy and reviews are welcome :)

-Skye

* * *

Sora stretched out his arms and yawned, rubbing his eyes afterwards. Kairi, who was sitting on his left-hand side, shook him vigorously until the brunette was fully alert. "Don't shake me so hard, Kairi!"

The redhead pointed to the current passage he had in his World History textbook. "If you don't wanna flunk your final for this semester, you'll stay up," she pointed to the start of the paragraph at the top of the page, "and study this chapter. The teacher already said that 10% of the questions are on this chapter."

Tidus, who had his head buried into his own book, looked up, equally tired. "Give us a break, Kairi. The coach made us run five miles yesterday."

Kairi frowned. "Just because blitzball training is going on, that doesn't mean that finals are just gonna disappear. Regardless, you have to pass your exams to play."

The blond moaned out loud. "You sound like my mother!"

"And I'm sure she'd be upset if you didn't get to play because you flunked this final," Kairi flipped the page in her notebook and fingered several important dates. "Just keep working and this won't be too much of a problem."

Sora and Tidus exchanged glances and said, "Yes, Mom."

Kairi smiled in satisfaction at the prospect of her instructions being obeyed. "By the way, have you guys started getting ready for the winter formal?"

Tidus rolled his eyes. "Didn't we just get over Homecoming like, a little while ago?"

"So? It's one of the most important dances of the year," Kairi clicked her blue pen and set it in her notebook. "Besides, if you forgot, the dance is just in four weeks."

Sora cracked his knuckles and rested his hands behind his head. "That's right; we get out of school on the 12th of December this year."

Tidus asked, "So what? That means we have three weeks to get our stuff together! And anyway, didn't you want us to worry about exams?"

"Who can worry about exams when the biggest dance for underclassmen is about a month away!" Selphie appeared next to Kairi and set her purse down on the table.

"Where did you come from?" Sora pointed an accusing finger, swearing that she wasn't always sitting at the table.

"That's the problem with you boys," Selphie raised her hand to Sora's face. "You guys have it easy. We girls have to get a date," she put down each finger as she went through the list, "get the perfect dress that looks good, watch what we eat so that way we don't burst _out _of said gown—"

Tidus slammed his book and tossed it to the side. "Umm, excuse me? Why can't you just buy a larger sized dress?"

Kairi smiled ruefully when she saw Selphie's aghast face. Before her friend could answer, she said, "It's a girl thing. We usually find a dress that fits, but to make sure that it looks _good_ we always try to lose a couple of pounds or tone up."

"Being a girl must be tough," Sora imagined all that and grimaced.

"Yeah, it's not easy," Selphie replied. "Then we have to get our nails done, hair, make-up, shoes, accessories, purses—"

"Okay okay okay!" Tidus waved his hands wildly to get her to stop. "We get it!"

Roxas and Naminé entered the study room and took seats next to their friends. Naminé smiled and greeted everyone while Roxas, whose eyes were bloodshot, barely managed a wave before collapsing in his chair.

"You look like you got hit by a bus and lived," Sora poked Roxas' cheek, only to have his hand slapped away. "What's wrong with you?"

"I haven't slept good in a week," Roxas massaged his temples.

"You mean for a few days, right?" Kairi rubbed the boy's shoulder, comforting him.

"No, Kairi. I _mean_ I haven't had a good night's rest in _seven _days."

"Yikes, what happened to you?" Tidus was now glad to have more distractions to keep him from studying and took full advantage of Roxas' situation.

Roxas hesitated for a moment, appearing as though he was against explaining what was going on with him. "…I've had weird dreams. They're not bad, but it still wrecks my sleep."

"What were the dreams about?" Kairi asked innocently.

"…school."

"So you're freaked out about the exams?"

"Kinda sorta," Roxas replied sheepishly. 'Although that's not entirely true. I _wish _the dream was that simple.'

_Flashback_

_Roxas found himself standing in the empty club where homecoming was hosted. All the lights were set up and even though there was no DJ, music blared through the speakers. He looked himself up and down and realized that he was still in his clothes from the night as well. _

"_This is weird," he said, scratching his head in confusion. Where is everyone?"_

_A loud clanking could be heard and Roxas jumped, _knowing _that he was the only one there. He turned around to see if by chance this was false, but he was alone. _

_However that click clack sound went off again and Roxas now became defensive. "Who's there?"_

_A woman's chuckled bounced off the walls. Roxas looked to a dark corner and saw Jasmine, dressed in her Homecoming attire approaching him slowly. "Sheesh Roxas, you look like you've seen a ghost."_

_Roxas relaxed considerably upon seeing a friendly face. "Thank god it's you. I was starting to freak out."_

_Jasmine's smile was more of a furtive smirk than anything, and it sent Roxas' heart into a frenzy. She stood in front of him and wrapped her arms around his waist, startling the blond indefinitely. "I'm here now so you have nothing to worry about."_

"_T-That's good to know." He shivered when she pulled their bodies close together, not leaving any space between them. _

"_But why do you look so nervous?" Jasmine stroked his chin with her thumb while her fingers brushed against his neck._

"_Jasmine, what are you doing?" He asked finally._

_Her eyes hazed over in sadness. "What's wrong, Roxas?"_

_He had to ask himself that very same question. Here he was, alone with Jasmine, where nothing and no one could bother him. His feelings were unwavering and he knew he wanted to be with her. So why was he acting so bizarre. "Nothing, Jasmine."_

_That same sly expression returned to her face. "Good." Jasmine swiftly stole a quick, teasing kiss from the blond and tore herself away from him. _

_Roxas' face was practically on fire and he knew that he had the most awestruck look plastered all over. "What was—?" _

_Jasmine pulled him by the hand towards the back of the club, music still blaring through the speakers up above. "Just follow me."_

_Roxas didn't argue. He was still mentally stuck on the fact that Jasmine had kissed him. He was so out of it mentally that he didn't remember how he ended up sitting on a dark leather sofa in a closed off room in the club. Jasmine stood by the door and looked over her shoulder. She clicked the lock and said, "I don't want anyone bothering us."_

"_What are we doing here?" _

_Within the blink of an eye, Jasmine ended up standing over the boy, leaning over in his face. "Don't act so innocent. You should know better by now. _Or_, would you rather me going back to calling you "buddy" or "friend" or something else we _both _know isn't our current status?"_

_As forward as she seemed at the moment, Jasmine was right. The very idea of them remaining friends ate him up inside and he hated it with a passion. _

_Jasmine sighed and took a step back. "Guess that makes me stupid for believing that we could be anything more than friends," she said sadly. "If you don't step up Roxas, I don't know if I'll wait around for you forever."_

_With newfound courage, Roxas stood up, cradled Jasmine's face in his hands and kissed her fiercely. Once he broke away, the couple regained their breath. "I'm not making you wait anymore."_

_Before Jasmine had the chance to speak, Roxas stole her lips once again and pulled her onto the sofa, sitting her in his lap. As they continued, Jasmine managed to tear off his jacket while he found himself planting sweet butterfly kisses on her neck. _

"_I didn't think you'd ever get the message," she said breathlessly._

_Roxas laughed, feeling completely liberated by finally taking the next step in their relationship. "I'm a little slow. You've got to forgive me."_

"_Ha," She latched her arms around his neck, "isn't that an understatement…"_

"_Be nice to me." Roxas grinned and pulled her to him once again. He was in his seventh heaven. They had the whole place to themselves, where they could be free to do whatever they wanted. Everything was perfect and almost intoxicating in a way. Her lips were softer than he could have imagined and her scent was hypnotic. The best part was that he knew that she returned his feelings ten times over. _

"_But Roxas, please listen to me," Jasmine froze and broke out of Roxas' grip. She stood up and crossed her arms over her chest, confusing him._

"_What's wrong Jasmine? I thought…"_

_Jasmine shook her head and headed for the door. She shook her head and tears began to form. "This is just a dream."_

_A sharp pain went through his chest and he wished that she was lying. "A-A dream?"_

"_Yeah." She unlocked the door and swung it open, revealing an eerie darkness on the outside. "If you don't figure out what you want…" A man appeared, his face concealed by the shadows. "Then I can't just stand by and wait. This isn't a game Roxas." Jasmine took the man's pale hand and disappeared in a without a trace, leaving Roxas all alone in that empty room._

_End of Flashback_

"So yeah," Roxas continued. "I have a lot of stuff on my mind."

Naminé noticed Roxas' discomfort but looked away. 'He still hasn't told me what he's been dreaming about.'

"Don't worry, I know you'll get everything worked out," Kairi told him.

"Yeah, just relax," Sora agreed cheerfully. "And what are you worried about? You're one of the smartest kids in your year. You'll ace your finals."

Too bad it wasn't his finals that had him waking up at night in a cold sweat that had him so worked up.

* * *

Jasmine sat on one of the barstools at Seventh Heaven, cleaning off the countertop while Tifa checked the bar. "Why are you guys closed today?" she asked, hopping off the stool and reaching for the cleanser.

"Because someone rented out the place for a private party," Tifa looked over her shoulder and smiled. "I needed to make sure everything was ready."

"It's crazy," Jasmine sprayed the corner of the counter, wiping it til it practically sparkled, "most people just rent out rooms. The people here rent out _entire restaurants_ for parties."

"Well," Tifa scribbled something down on her clipboard, "business is business."

"Are you going to bartend or anything?" Jasmine threw the dirty towel in a nearby hamper. "Every time I come down here, the men always ask you to make a drink. You're really popular Tifa."

Tifa laughed and set the clipboard down. "I'm just glad business is taking off. That way," she placed her hand on Jasmine's head, "I can take care of my family."

Once Tifa had retreated back to the bar, Jasmine heard a sharp knock against the glass windowpane. Jasmine brushed off her t-shirt and headed to the front. "I'll get it!"

"Thank you!" Tifa waved and continued on with what she was doing.

Jasmine jogged to the main entrance of the restaurant, took out a key and unlocked the door. When it was fully open, her jaw nearly unhinged. Standing on the doorstep was quite possibly the most gorgeous man she had ever seen in her life. Tall, muscular physique, pale skin, infinite blue eyes and gravity defying blond spiky hair; this man would give Riku a run for his money.

"Hi," she closed her mouth and hid her blush. "Can I help you?"

"Yes," his voice was soft, yet strong. "Is Tifa around?"

"And your name would be…?" Truth be told, Jasmine was so captured by his eyes that she probably would have let the man in anyway, despite Tifa's earlier instructions to turn away visitors.

"It's Cloud," the man replied, placing his gloved hands in his pockets. "Cloud Strife."

Jasmine stepped aside and allowed him to enter the restaurant. 'Why does that name seem so familiar?' She led him to the back of the restaurant where Tifa stood with her back to the pair. "Um, Tifa, this man is here to see you," she said softly, trying not to stare at the blond angel standing on her right.

"Really now?" Tifa wiped off a glass mirror and turned around smiling. When she laid eyes on Cloud, she froze in place.

Jasmine took a step back, examining the situation. In all her sixteen years of life, she had _never _seen Tifa so awestruck in her life. It was as if she had stopped functioning all together. Her stare was blank, her eyes were wide and there was even a flush of pink on her face. The guy, Cloud, seemed to been in the same state as Tifa, except his was more sullen and, guilty in a way.

Tifa broke out of her shock and smiled kindly. "Welcome home, Cloud."

'I don't get it,' Jasmine took a seat away from the pair, surveying the incident from afar. 'How do these two know each other? And what's with this tension?'

Cloud glanced around Seventh Heaven. "It looks like you're doing well."

"I am," Tifa replied warmly. "Take a seat."

Cloud did as he was told and sat on the nearest stool.

"Cloud, this is Jasmine," Tifa pointed to her young charge.

Stiffly, Cloud mumbled a "hello". Jasmine, not really caring, cheerily waved, still trying to keep herself from having a fangirl moment. 'This is what it feels like,' she noted.

"So," Tifa wiped a glass, "what are you doing back in town?"

"I finished my tour," Cloud replied stoically. "I just moved back a couple of weeks ago."

"So you live on the island?"

Cloud nodded but did not say anything.

'Talk about stone cold. I bet I could _literally _cut the tension with a knife,' Jasmine thought about the idea and laughed quietly.

Several minutes of uninterrupted silence followed while Tifa continued to clean and polish the glasses at the bar. Cloud did nothing but watch Tifa with an unreadable expression. He twiddled his fingers on the counter before hopping out of his seat. "It was good seeing you, Tifa."

"Yeah," Tifa replied softly. "Don't make yourself a stranger."

Wordlessly, Cloud nodded again. Jasmine led him to the door and called goodbye. She watched him take off on his motorcycle and disappear down the street. Once he was gone, she shut the door and locked it behind her. Jasmine practically stormed back to the bar and slammed her hand down on the countertop.

"Okay, do you want to explain what _that _was about?" Jasmine asked, finally glad that the heavy air was lifted.

"You mean, Cloud?" Tifa asked innocently.

"Yes, that beautiful blond god who just walked in here," Jasmine pointed to the door and nearly fell out on the counter. "There is no reason for a man to be that gorgeous."

Tifa laughed. "I'm afraid he's a little too old for you, Jasmine."

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'm over that. But, the real question is, who is he?"

Tifa set a glass down and leaned back against the sink. "Cloud is a friend of mine. I've known him since I was a child."

"Old friends, huh? I've never heard you talk about him," Jasmine ran her fingers over the stool.

Tifa sighed heavily. "Cloud and I haven't seen each other for five years," she admitted.

"Five years? Whoa, that's a long time."

"He still looks and acts the same as he did back then."

'He doesn't age either? Bless his parents,' Jasmine tried to keep herself from drooling all over her freshly cleaned tabletop.

"Cloud's not really one to pick up the phone and call people," Tifa explained. "He's really…"

"Distant?"

Tifa agreed. "Exactly. I'm just really shocked to see him. It was…nice."

'There's way more to this than Tifa's telling me,' Jasmine figured out. 'And from the way they were acting, it looks like they had some kind of history.'

"He stopped by though," then Tifa added sadly, "It better than him just disappearing on everyone like he usually does."


	18. Chapter 18: Hurt and Comfort

**Author's Note: ***sighs* everyone's gotta love Cloud. One of the coolest Final Fantasy guys that ever graced the tv screen XD anyway I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter. I figured I'd get more into Tifa's life because Roxas and everyone else seem to have the spotlight on them so much. I wanna thank all those who read and my reviewers: **animechick247, Queen Micky, Khaotic Kal, **and **Kanika Meskhenet**. I won't keep you guys but I hope you enjoy this chapter. Reviews are welcome and take care!

-Skye

* * *

"You know," Jasmine wrapped her gray scarf tightly around her neck, buttoning up her blazer after the fact, "even though it sunny outside," she said to Roxas, Kairi and Naminé, "it's definitely cold."

Roxas shivered. "Ugh, don't remind me." He turned to his sister who seemed as content with the weather as Jasmine was. "You can't possibly tell me that you aren't cold."

Naminé smiled. "I love this weather; it's a nice change of pace."

Riku approached the group standing in the courtyard with Sora and Tidus at his side. "What's wrong, Roxas? Can't take the cold weather?"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Bite me."

"I don't know," Tidus pointed to Roxas, "ever since Halloween, Riku's been insulting Jasmine's boyfriend. I almost miss you two," he looked at Jasmine and then Riku, "fighting all the time. It was entertaining."

Roxas' face flushed pink, but he was happy he could blame it on the cold.

"Number one: Roxas isn't my boyfriend," Jasmine said mildly. "But you do have a point, Riku has been a lot friendlier since Halloween."

"That's because you haven't pissed me off in a while," Riku replied sharply.

The only one who noticed Roxas' discomfort with Jasmine's first statement was Naminé. When Jasmine said that Roxas wasn't her boyfriend, the blond girl saw a bit of disappointment in his eyes. She patted his shoulder for support and slowly, that flicker of sadness had faded.

Jasmine rocked on her heels and said, "Because _you _old man," she referred to his silver hair, "haven't pissed _me_ off. You're usually the one who starts it and I get the pleasure of shutting you down."

Riku's eyes narrowed but instead of annoyance, mischief took its place. "I told you I wanted to be a gentleman."

"Ha," she scoffed. 'Let's see how long that lasts.'

Naminé cleared her throat. "By the way, are you guys coming to my art show on Friday?"

"Yeah," Kairi wrapped her arms around the blond artist. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"I guess you're gonna have to clear space in that studio of yours for _another _award. Your sketches and watercolor pictures are the best," Sora stated with a smile.

It just donned on Jasmine that everyone in her group of friends were not only wealthy, but talented in some way. Kairi excelled in swimming, Naminé was an artist, Roxas was a great snowboarder (he had trophies on the wall in his bedroom to prove it); Selphie was usually out of action because she was a dedicated contemporary dancer and the rest of the boys were stars on the school's blitzball team. 'Some people just are born lucky,' Jasmine thought, admiring her friends and their talents.

"Thank you," Naminé blushed at the praise from her friends. "Jasmine, I really hope you can come. I have a piece especially for you."

Jasmine pointed to herself, eyes wide. "Me?"

"Yes you," Naminé then added. "You inspired me."

"By doing what? I didn't do anything," Jasmine admitted bashfully.

Naminé patted Jasmine on the back. "Just come to the show and you'll understand. By the way, you promised to stop by after school."

"I'm still coming. No worries there."

"By the way," Kairi chimed in, "are we all still taking the limo for the dance? I'll need a head count by Friday."

"Me and Selphie are going together," Tidus told her. "She said to put us down."

Kairi smiled. "Great, what about you Riku? Are you going?"

The silver-haired teen shrugged his shoulders. "It's still in the dark for now. My family might be going out of town that day."

"Another one of those overseas Christmas trips?" Sora questioned.

"Possibly," Riku replied.

Kairi pointed to Naminé. "Are you going?"

"Yes, Shuyin asked me out," Naminé blushed at this, attracting attention from everyone in the group.

"You mean the captain of the blitzball team?" Kairi asked curiously. After Naminé nodded, Jasmine broke out into a grin of her own.

"He's one of the most gorgeous blond guys I've ever seen in my life and he seems like a nice guy. Good job, Naminé."

"_One _of the "most gorgeous blond guys" you've ever seen?" Roxas elbowed Jasmine.

"Yeah, but I'm telling you," Jasmine looked up to the sky, not even wanting to fight the heat rising to her cheeks, "I saw this man come into my god-mother's restaurant recently and I swear I almost passed out."

"Jasmine," Tidus teased, "you look like you're in love with the guy the way you're blushing."

Roxas frowned at the comment and looked away.

"Who cares? A guy like that with clear skin, awesome hair, beautiful eyes and the perfect body…it was beautiful," she breathed.

"And how _old _was this guy anyway?" Roxas challenged.

Jasmine shrugged her shoulders. "He was in his late twenties," she sighed, "he was like some fallen angel or something."

"Hmph," Roxas scoffed, "there's a problem with him somewhere. No matter how…_angelic_," the word dripped with venom, "there's always some major flaw."

Jasmine was rather taken back by Roxas' sudden salty change in attitude. "We're not perfect people, no one is. But you don't even know Cloud, and it sounds like you're passing judgment."

"I'm just calling it as I see it," Roxas replied dryly. "Besides, why are you looking at someone who's _way _too old for you in the first place? That's pretty creepy, Jasmine. I didn't think you were one of those types of girls."

Kairi and Sora looked to each other in confusion, while Tidus did the same with Naminé, hoping the blond twin could give a reasonable explanation. Riku watched Jasmine curiously and saw something he hadn't seen before when she looked at Roxas: Pure ire and irritation.

"Can we just let it go?" Kairi pleaded, trying desperately to keep the peace. "The guy was hot; can we move on, _please_?"

"One of "_those" _girls?" Jasmine inquired, eyeing Roxas dangerously. "Care to elaborate, Roxas?"

"As in, one of the girls who obsess over older guys that they have no chance at being with," Roxas clarified, sounding as sharp as the night of Halloween when Tidus made that joke about Jasmine.

Jasmine's mouth practically unhinged for a second, her lips trembling after that. Riku saw something he had never seen before on Jasmine's face: hurt. Shock painted her face and it took her a moment to process what Roxas had just said. Riku felt his heart drop a little at her expression but looked away when he couldn't figure out why.

"You know," Jasmine had composed herself but held onto the strap of her messenger bag so tightly that her knuckles were white, "I thought Riku was the only one who gave me crap and even _he _hasn't said anything that rude."

Instantly, Roxas' face paled. 'Did I really just say that to her?'

"It's funny actually," Jasmine laughed sarcastically and turned on her heel to leave. "I never thought it'd be you in Riku's place."

Roxas snatched her wrist before she walked off. "Jasmine, I didn't—"

She yanked her arm away from Roxas and sent him her darkest, fiercest glare. "Just leave me alone." She sped off towards the next building to her class, leaving the group.

Less than a second later, Roxas' head dropped in shame and he headed off in the other direction wordlessly. Tidus called out to him but was met with silence. He turned back to the group. "Okay, does anyone want to explain what just happened? I'm gonna be honest and say that I'm lost."

"Do you think Roxas got a bit jealous?" Sora turned to Riku, but low and behold, he had disappeared to. Sora groaned and threw his arms in the air. "What is it with everyone pulling disappearing acts today?"

* * *

Jasmine stormed out of the school that day, determined to put some distance between herself and the one who tanked it. She pulled her books to her chest, squinting her eyes against the winds. 'Great, the weather matches my mood.'

Just as she headed down the steps, a high pitched whistle caught her attention. Jasmine froze near the gate and saw Riku standing by his shiny Corvette. 'He must be trying to get someone else's attention.'

"New Girl," Riku called out.

'Yeah,' Jasmine grimaced. 'He's talking to me.'

Jasmine sluggishly made her way over to Riku's car. "Yeah?"

"What are you doing right now?" Riku asked dryly.

"Going home? It's afterschool, that's what I usually do," she rolled her eyes. 'If he's gonna pick on me, then I really don't need to stick around.'

Riku stuck his hands in his pockets. "Do you have a few minutes to spare?"

"Uh," Jasmine looked at her cell phone. Tifa didn't usually expect her home until 4:30 or 4:45 on the days when she caught the bus and walked home. It was only 3:20 right now so if Riku would be willing to give her a ride, she might be able to get away with it. "Yeah I do. Why? Is something wrong?"

Riku didn't reply. He simply opened the door on the passenger's side and told her to get in.

Cautiously, Jasmine approached the car. "Am I gonna disappear?"

Surprisingly, Riku chuckled and gently pushed her into the passenger's seat and closed the door behind her. Once Riku was in, he buckled his seatbelt and sped off away from the school.

"Do you mind telling me where we're going? I'm a little concerned I might not make it back," Jasmine said, cautiously watching the MPH meter. 'He drives _faster _than Axel?'

"The last thing I need is to go to jail for murdering some new girl from school," Riku replied, turning onto the main street. "Trust me, it's not worth it."

Jasmine seemed satisfied that she'd at least make it back home in one piece. "So what's the deal? Where are you dragging me?"

Riku glanced at Jasmine and then turned his attention back to the road. "Technically, you could have walked away from me. This isn't like when Kairi and Naminé kidnap you for shopping trips for," he snickered, "those little outfits you love wearing."

Jasmine blushed fiercely. "Okay, number one, Naminé's outing was for Homecoming. For that one, I needed a dress and shoes. Number two, _Kairi_ and that crazy salesperson were the ones who picked out my costumes."

"Heh," Riku came to a stoplight and searched through the pictures on his phone until he came to one in particular. He held it out to Jasmine who nearly went into shock. "And what about _this _number? I swear Jasmine, you look a _little _too natural in these costumes."

Low and behold, Riku had a picture of Jasmine in her witch costume from Roxas and Naminé's birthday party. In the picture she was laughing, seemingly unaware that her picture had been taken.

"You creeper! Why would you take a picture of that?" Before she could delete the photo, Riku tucked the phone back into his pants pocket.

"For the record, I didn't take the photo." Riku took off when the light turned green. "It was Tidus. The boy pretty much had a heart-attack when he saw that."

"Oh my god," Jasmine hid her face in her hands. "I can't believe he took a picture of me."

"It could have been worse. Did you see some of the other girls at the party? Compared to them, yours was…a little more than mild."

She turned to the window and saw that they were near the ocean. "It's Halloween," she then laughed hollowly, "what is it about the slut rule that girls take it to new heights?"

"Don't beat yourself up," Riku switched lanes. "You didn't look like a slut. The skirt was a little short though, but nothing is gonna top that slit from the French maid's costume."

"You couldn't see anything!" Jasmine yelled, wondering if the reason she was there was so he could pick on her about her recent outrageous fashion choices.

"You're right, I didn't see anything…other than leg," he smirked.

Jasmine slapped his arm. "Delete that picture of me from the party," she commanded.

"I don't know why you're so touchy." Riku's voice was more hushed now. "You have nice legs; you won't go to hell for showing them off once in a while."

Jasmine had opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out when Riku said that. Instead, she sat back and gave him a cautious stare. "Have you been drinking?"

Riku parked his car by the boardwalk and shut off his car and got out. He met Jasmine on her side, opened the door for her and held out his hand. "I'm not a total jerk, Jasmine. Can't I say something nice without having you suspect me or something?"

She looked into his eyes, searching for any sign of insincerity. Strangely though, she saw nothing but _sincerity. _Jasmine took his hand and sighed. "I'm done suspecting you for now. Unless," he pulled her out of the car and shut the door, locking it behind him as they walked along the boardwalk, "you do something to _make _me suspect you."

"Fair enough," Riku conceded to the earlier statement and stuck his hands in his pockets.

Jasmine stuck close to him and the rest of their walk was in silence. She was still unfamiliar with the beach so she figured it wouldn't be very wise to get lost. Besides, she'd have no ride home and that would be awfully hard to explain to Tifa.

Riku took her around the back, behind several restaurants. There was a long wooden platform over the waters with a straight shot overlooking the sea and the setting sun. At the end of the platform was a long bench and Riku led her to it, asking for her to sit down with him doing so after the fact.

"Okay, it's really nice out here," Jasmine said, admiring the ocean stretched out before her.

"I come here a lot by myself. No one ever hangs out back here," Riku told her.

"So…do you want to tell me what we're doing out here? It's nice, but I don't get it."

Riku dug out his cell phone and held out the picture of Jasmine at the party. He deleted the image and set his phone back in his pocket. "Does that make you feel a little bit better? Although Kairi did send me some group pictures of you in it..."

Jasmine crossed her legs and sighed. "You know, as long as you didn't post it up on the Internet, I'm really don't care."

"Suit yourself," Riku shrugged his shoulders, "Did you make up with Roxas yet?"

"Roxas?"

"Yes, Roxas," Riku repeated, "the one you got into that argument with earlier today. As far as I know, there are no other Roxas' in our school."

"Come to think of it," she bit her lower lip, "I don't think I ever heard of that name before."

"It's an anagram of Sora with an 'x' in it," Riku explained, never tearing his eyes away from the ocean, "if you can find someone with that name I swear I'll write you a check for three hundred dollars."

Jasmine rolled her eyes and grinned. "You might as well keep your money."

"What happened back there?" Riku took out his vibrating cell phone and shut it off.

"Aren't you gonna answer that?"

"No," he replied. "We're having a conversation. _That _can wait. But," Riku finally turned to face her, "start explaining."

Jasmine squirmed in her seat a bit. Usually the Riku she dealt with on a regular basis was rude and sarcastic. In fact, they didn't talk to each other at all. But here they were: sitting together on their own watching the waves. It was actually kind of nice. "You know what happened. Roxas started biting my head off about that guy."

"Yeah."

"And I got upset. There was no reason for him to attack me like that," Jasmine sank in her seat and dug her hands in her blazer pockets, "I thought he was my friend. If he were talking about a hot girl he saw, I wouldn't have gotten mad. That was just stupid."

'So she only thinks of him as a friend? That kinda sucks on Roxas' end,' Riku thought, shaking his head. "I'm gonna be honest: he did take it a bit too far. Roxas is prone to anger and lashing out at people. Usually he's composed, but when he heard you talking about some other guy, it just set him off."

"But why?"

"Roxas is protective over you. He's the same with Naminé. Certain things just set him off quicker than others. You should have seen him when Naminé told him that Shuyin was taking her to the winter formal. He grilled Shuyin the next day and put a death threat on his head if something happened to Naminé," Riku laughed at the thought. "Oh man, it was hilarious."

'He's got a nice laugh,' Jasmine noted, finding it rather infectious and smiling along with him. "I can only imagine."

"The point is you've got to be patient with him. Like I said earlier he stepped out of line, but he only did that because he cares about you. Don't stay angry at him."

Jasmine saw that the wind had picked up considerably. "I'm not angry at him. I never was. I guess I was just hurt." She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of the ocean. "People have told me for years that I don't have a shot with other people, goals and all that stuff. I guess hearing it from him just…hurt."

'So she was hurt, not pissed off.'

"But no, I can't hold anything against Roxas. He's been so helpful since I got here."

"Yeah, he's someone you'd want to have backing you up. I think he wants you to forgive him and hearing you say that will probably put him at ease."

Jasmine looked at her phone and saw that it was almost 4 o'clock. "I'll give him a call later."

"That's good," Riku said with a slight smile. "Just make sure you handle it before he loses his mind."

Before Jasmine could reply, she noticed that Riku had goosebumps on the sliver of his exposed forearms not covered by his blazer. Without word or warning, she removed her scarf and threw it around his neck.

"What are you doing?" Riku tried to take it off but Jasmine slapped his hands away.

"What does it look like? It's windy and you have bumps on your arms. Boys always pretend they're never cold," she wrapped it tightly around his neck. "I'm sure you're cold everywhere else. So just wear it and shut up." Jasmine plopped back down in her seat and faced the opposite direction.

"You are wearing a skirt," Riku reasoned. "Take it back."

"Um, I grew up where it was a lot colder than this. So shut up and wear it. It may not be designer or whatever but it gets the job done. Got it?"

Riku was still unconvinced that Jasmine wasn't cold. "Would you stop—"

"Don't be stubborn!" Jasmine stood up and practically yelled.

Deciding immediately that he would not win this argument, especially since in reality he _was_ cold Riku let the matter drop. "Are you always like this? So aggressive?"

Jasmine eyed the skies up ahead. "Probably not," she said with a softness Riku had never heard before. "I just get this way with you. From day one until the carnival, you have given me so much attitude and crap that snapping just comes natural."

"So you think I'm a total jerk?"

Jasmine smiled ruefully and her eyes were coated over in something Riku couldn't comprehend. "I know you aren't. We just end always end up arguing. Do I think you _can_ be a pain? Big time. But Riku…"

For the first time, Riku noticed how truly soft and pretty her face truly was. Sure she looked good at all the school functions but this time was different. He took notice of all the features of her face from her nose, high cheekbones, skin, full lips and almost mesmerizing hazel/gold eyes. It was actually nice the way she looked at him while haunting at the same time.

"I can see that you really aren't as shallow as you initially come off," she leaned against the bench, "you really do care about your friends. You're protective, more so with Sora and Kairi, but with everyone you hang out with."

"How could you know all that?"

"It's not something I can explain. I just sense it. They way it is when you look at them. You're protective and almost like a big brother to everyone. If we never really get along, never agree on anything, fight and try to kill each other over something stupid like an insult, I just want you to know I respect that."

Riku took a minute to let everything sink in. It was almost seemed unreal that Jasmine, a new girl he had met, practically broke down an aspect of his personality without any real conversation beforehand. He knew full well that she was highly intelligent. But he never expected that she'd be this insightful. Plus, Riku realized that when they were alone like this without any distractions from school or other people, it was like they could almost be totally open with each other.

One thing was on his mind though. If they were open with each other at this point, he wanted to take the chance and ask a question he knew he wouldn't get answered later. "There is something that I've wanted to ask for a while. Jasmine…what's your real name?"

"Jasmine is my name," she replied.

"No, I mean your _true_ name," he argued. "I know Jasmine is your middle name. I've seen something else like an initial written before the name you use at school."

"That's because the only one who uses my first name is my father." Her eyes hardened at this for the briefest moment. "I don't use it at all and from the way my name appears on my records, it almost looks like Jasmine is my first name. I just don't bother correcting it."

"Why?"

Jasmine exhaled, "for personal reasons."

"Well if we're being honest here," Riku stood up, "I'd like to know."

A dark eyebrow arched. "Really?"

"Yes really. It can't be _that _bad."

"By the way, I need to get home soon. I don't want Tifa worrying over me," Jasmine pointed to the boardwalk.

"I'll take you home now. And for the record, nothing leaves this area," Riku told her.

Jasmine walked ahead of him by a few paces. "Good. And only because you actually helped me clear my head, will I tell you. I don't necessarily want everyone running around asking why I don't use my name. Selphie might come up with something crazy like I'm under government protection and bug the crap out of me."

"Fair enough. I can see it happening too. But why don't you use it? You never answered me."

"I did," she responded. "Personal reasons."

"Fine then," Riku shrugged his shoulders in defeat. 'I shouldn't expect her to open up to me. She probably doesn't trust me that much.'

Jasmine looked over her shoulder. "It's Faye. Faye is my _true_ name." And she continued on her way ahead of him while Riku paused for a moment, analyzing the look in her eyes when she said that. It was like with that look just now, the previous one where she admitted how she respected him that Riku had just seen into the real girl hiding behind the mysterious hazel eyes. It was as if almost everything was a front or a shield that she had put up in front of other people and that Riku had seen the true Jasmine…

'It's actually pretty and it fits her.'

"You can keep calling me Jasmine if you want. I don't care. Just don't tell anyone. It's not their business."

"Not even Roxas'?"

Jasmine/Faye rolled her eyes. "This doesn't go farther than us. I'm trying to start fresh with you."

"I respect that," Riku caught up, "Faye."


	19. Chapter 19: A Boyfriend and Partner

**Author's Note: **okay I'm gonna make this short so that way we can get to the story. I wanna thank the readers and reviewers **Khaotic Kal, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, LoreilDarksky00, Tiryn, Kanika Meshkenet and animechick247.** I wanted to make her name simple, yet totally different from Jasmine. I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter and reviews are welcome! Thanks and take care!

-Skye

* * *

Arriving at her usual time, Jasmine felt rejuvenated from her conversation with Riku the previous night. She dropped her messenger bag in front of her locker and sighed. Unfortunately she was unable to come over Naminé's house because Tifa had asked for her help down at Seventh Heaven. Apparently one of the waitresses had called in sick and the restaurant was understaffed. So Jasmine changed clothes to the typical uniform of the waitress (jeans, white button-down collared shirt and a dark blue halter vest) and cancelled on Naminé. The blond girl seemed to understand and just told Jasmine to come over the next night. However…

Jasmine leaned against the lockers and sighed, trying to find her dial. 'I wonder if they thought I cancelled because I was still mad at Roxas.' She didn't know Roxas' state after she stormed off and so she was left in the dark.

"Maybe I can deal with this in homeroom," she said softly as she pulled open the door to her locker.

Jasmine dropped the book she held in her hand when something came flying out of her lockers. Her eyes widened in shock when she found herself cradling a large bouquet of white calla lilies in her arms.

"Oh my god," she breathed, holding them up so that she could examine them clearly. 'They're gorgeous.' She ran her fingers along the petals and blushed. 'No one outside my family has given me flowers before.'

She felt another presence and instinctively, she whipped her head to the end of the hallway to see Roxas standing there with his hands in his pockets and his head hung low. "Roxas? Did you do this?"

The blond approached her slowly, not sure whether or not she was still upset or not. "Yeah," he replied, voice shaking as he spoke, "it's easy to figure out how to get into someone's locker when your uncle is an administrator."

"Ah," Jasmine glanced at the ceiling, "I guess when you have people in high places you can pretty much get away with anything."

Roxas tugged on his ear. "It doesn't hurt much."

"Guess not," Jasmine agreed, sliding her books into the locker.

'I didn't expect this to be so tough,' Roxas watched her face for any signs of anger or hostility.

_Flashback_

_Roxas, Sora and Riku sat around in Naminé's studio while the girl was working on a watercolor of a person standing waist-deep in the sea with the twilit sky hanging overhead. She set down a paintbrush and responded to a new text message. When she was done, she set it down on a table besides her easel. _

"_Who was that?" Sora was stuffing his face full of chocolate chip cookies and sat next to Roxas on a suede sofa. Riku sat in a chair far off by the window by several canvas' and sketchbooks, watching Naminé paint. _

"_It was Jasmine," she replied sadly, searching for a clean paintbrush. "She said she can't come. Something came up at her aunt's job and she needs to help out."_

_Sora sighed. "I wanted her to come!"_

_Roxas bit his inner cheek. 'I bet she's still mad at me.'_

"_I did too," Naminé set her dirty brushes in water and stepped back from her work. "But hey, she said she'd come by tomorrow. I just wanted to show her this piece I was gonna showcase beforehand."_

"_It probably doesn't help that I pissed her off earlier," Roxas sulked._

"_You know what Roxas," Naminé began slowly, "I think you should do something about all this."_

"_What do ya mean Nam?" Sora set down the plate of cookies and stretched out on the couch. _

"_It's pretty obvious what's going on," Naminé continued, going back to her painting. "Roxas, you need to step up to Jasmine and show her that you didn't mean to sound as harsh as you did. I don't like it when my friends are fighting."_

"_Well that's nice, but she probably wasn't excited about coming over given what I said to her." Roxas came to grips a few days ago that he had feelings for Jasmine. He knew he was attracted to her for many reasons. She was extremely bright, she was down to earth unlike a lot of the girls he went to school with, and not to mention attractive. But there was a part of him that froze up whenever he was around her and he felt that there was a barrier between them. Roxas couldn't believe that he didn't even know her first name. Things weren't looking so good for him._

_Naminé sighed. "Well I wouldn't totally blame her. I'd be upset too. But if you want to change things, do something to get her attention and show her that you aren't some jerk that goes off and says stupid things."_

"_Get her flowers or something," Sora advised. "I saw her staring at lilies one time when we were hanging around the school garden."_

"_It wouldn't hurt things," Riku chimed in, sounding disinterested in the conversation._

"_Yeah, I haven't seen a girl go into a fit of rage because someone gave her flowers," Sora offered Roxas a kind smile. "Then just talk to her. She's not violent. What's the worst that can happen?"_

_End of Flashback_

"I think we need to talk," Jasmine shut her locker.

"That's a good idea," Roxas agreed. "Look, Jasmine," he held out his hands as if he were pleading, "you know I never meant anything that I said yesterday."

"But why did you say all that? I was talking about some guy who I'm not even interested in. Was he extremely handsome? Yes he was. Do you understand me at all?"

Roxas thought he understood her a little bit, but he had to admit that much of Jasmine was a mystery to him. He could answer the basic questions but as far as getting to the core, he was as distant as it could get. Roxas wanted to change all that, to get her to open up to him. "I understand a bit, but I gotta be honest and say that I really don't get you. I'd like to change that."

"Really?" Jasmine noticed that the distance between herself and Roxas had shrunk considerably.

"Yes, really," Roxas took one of her hands and laced their fingers. "I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?"

Jasmine sighed, "I can't stay mad at you. It takes too much energy."

Overjoyed, Roxas picked up Jasmine and spun her around a couple of times. Once he set her down, Jasmine stared at him incredulously. "Whoa, did I say anything extra amazing?" Then she noted that he still had his hands latched onto her waist.

"I'm just glad that you forgive me, that's all."

"We're beyond that now, so trust me Roxas, we're fine." Jasmine started to walk off but Roxas refused to let go.

"Then now's a perfect time as ever…"

"For what?"

Despite his wish to remain cool and confident, Roxas couldn't fight the almost painfully quick heartbeats in his chest. "I want you to come with me to the winter formal."

'That sounded serious for a moment,' Jasmine half-expected something a little more earth-rocking than an invitation to the school dance. "Sure I'll go with you."

'Man up, Roxas,' he breathed in deeply and chuckled awkwardly. "I don't think you understand."

"What do you mean?" She tightened her grip on the flowers and searched in his eyes for the hidden meaning behind the invitation.

"I want you to come with me not as my friend," Roxas finally found the courage to speak his mind truthfully, "but as my legitimate date."

Jasmine went into a total state of shock but did not show it. The closest friend she had here at the school had asked her out on a serious date in a romantic situation. True enough she would enjoy spending time with him at the dance, but this was more than she expected.

"Unless," Roxas' hands dropped to his sides, "you don't think that it's a good idea."

"No, no," Jasmine said hastily, realizing that her silence had hurt him. "I'll go with you as your…official date."

"Really?" Roxas was now hopeful that maybe he had a shot.

"Yes, _really_," Jasmine placed a hand on his shoulder.

Roxas breathed a sigh of relief. "You had me worried for a second there."

"I'm not heartless Roxas," she replied. "I just got caught off guard is all."

Finally feeling as though everything was working out as he wanted, Roxas planted a kiss on Jasmine's cheek and pulled her along towards homeroom. "I'll make sure you have the time of your life. It's gonna be my top priority, make no mistake about it."

Hidden behind a calm demeanor and a gentle smile, Jasmine felt a wave of dread. 'Yeah, we'd have fun. But now he has totally different expectations of me. Roxas is sweet, kind, smart and really attractive. But why does this _already_ feel like a mistake?'

* * *

Jasmine looked at the flowers in her arms and then her front door. 'Tifa is gonna have a field day when she sees these.' She unlocked the door and pushed it open with her hip. Once Jasmine was inside, she called out, "I'm home!", and kicked off her school shoes.

Tifa rounded the corner, holding a vase and a cleaning rag in her hands. "Welcome home, honey."

"Good to be home," Jasmine replied cheerfully. Tifa felt more like a mother than her own.

"Hmm," Tifa stared at the bouquet of lilies in Jasmine's arms. "Did someone just confess to you or something?"

Jasmine bit her lip. "In a way, I guess so."

Tifa fingered one of the lilies. "They're gorgeous. Might I ask who they're from?"

Jasmine walked into the kitchen and sat at the bar stool while Tifa filled the vase with water. "Roxas gave them to me."

Tifa set the vase on the counter and placed the lilies inside. "I hope you saw this coming," she said with a smile, admiring the flowers. "That boy has a serious thing for you."

"I see that _now_, Tifa. I just thought we were friends. I mean, sure he was nice to me all the time but I thought it was because he's just a nice guy; nothing else involved," Jasmine admitted, removing her glasses and rubbing her temples.

"You don't feel the same way, I can see that." Tifa pulled up a stool and wrapped her arm around Jasmine's shoulders. "What's stopping you from having feelings for him? The fact that you're friends?"

"Yes, I mean he has so many good qualities about him," Jasmine placed her hand on the cheek he kissed earlier, "nice, smart, sweet, kinda shy...I don't know maybe there's something wrong with me."

Tifa gave Jasmine's shoulders a squeeze. "No, there's nothing wrong with you. You're probably just a little startled by everything that happened. Just relax and try and sort things out. What's the first thing you have to deal with?"

Jasmine looked up. "The winter formal."

"Okay, that's a start. So, you and he will go together as a couple-type thing…and if it doesn't work out between now and then, and I mean all this time between now and then, you can just tell him that you'd rather keep it platonic and stay friends. I mean, Roxas seems like he's an understanding guy. If you two are really that close, then it'll all pan itself out in the end."

After letting things sink in, Jasmine jumped off the seat in excitement. "Maybe you should have been a psychologist or something. You're great at giving advice."

"Not really, I was just a teenager once so I have a general idea of what's going on."

"Well, regardless, you're helping a lot."

The doorbell rang and Tifa excused herself for a moment. 'Maybe it won't be the end of the world if we tried something together…'

* * *

Jasmine finished her homework in record time and figured it would be best to get some serious rest before her finals. 'Don't wanna get sick again,' she pulled her tank top over her head and slipped on her pajama bottom shorts. She dove into her comfortable bed headfirst and plugged in her earphones, blasting pop music from Utada Hikaru into her ears.

While Jasmine tried to find sleep, Tifa and that blond god Cloud sat downstairs catching up on old times. She didn't want to be the third wheel and so Jasmine grabbed some leftovers, disappearing upstairs after she heated up the shrimp scampi.

'Those two don't really _look_ like friends,' Jasmine laid flat on her stomach and traced her finger along the carpet. 'At least not from where I'm standing...' Her eyes flickered to the vase of flowers on her nightstand. 'That Cloud guy seems like he's so distant and so reserved. It's like he's scared of something.'

Faster than she thought, Jasmine felt herself slowly slipping into a nice, deep sleep. "Now," she yawned, burying her head in her pillow, "that I have some free time, maybe I can catch up on some of the sleep I lost this year. I'll ask Tifa about Cloud in the—"

The strong vibration of her cell phone under her pillow jolted her awake. She groaned and rubbed her eyes. "This better be something important or else I'll set him/her on fire tomorrow…"

Jasmine found her phone and absently answered the call. "H-Hello?"

A snicker answered her on the other end of the line. "You can't _possibly_ be asleep at this time."

"Who is this?" Jasmine didn't bother to try to focus her eyes. By the way this conversation was going she'd be hanging up any second now.

"Riku, who else would be calling you?"

Jasmine groaned. "Old man, what is it? I was asleep."

"You can get your beauty sleep later. I want to talk _now_."

She rolled her eyes. "And what makes you won't think I won't hang up on you _right now_? I won't feel bad about it. In fact, I'll be smiling as I fall asleep."

"Because you, Miss _Faye_," there was triumph in his voice, "aren't mean enough to do that as far as I can see."

"Just tell me what's wrong. You don't call me, so there must be something the matter."

Jasmine heard shifting in the background. "It's about Sora."

She practically jumped out of her skin. "What's wrong with Sora?"

"Nothing serious so calm down," he told her. "Well, nothing that can't be easily amended."

"Well then out with it!"

"Calm down, Faye," Riku exhaled. "I'm sure you know about Sora and Kairi."

"And their obvious feelings for each other? Yeah I know about it. Why? Did something happen?"

"No, that's the point. They aren't making any progress whatsoever and, even though Sora won't admit it, it's driving him insane."

Jasmine rolled on her back. "So the whole point of this conversation is?"

"My point is that I want to push them together so that way they'll figure out that they're supposed to be together."

A dark eyebrow shot up. "Since when were you the romantic type? I thought you left that kind of stuff to Selphie. This is highly out of character for you. But then again, calling me is out of character as well…"

"Faye, I'm calling because I need your help."

Jasmine let the name roll around a bit. It actually sounded quite natural. "What do you need?"

"I need you to come with me, Sora and Kairi to the movies and go out dancing as a double date."

"Did you even see what happened with me and Roxas today?" She sat up completely and envisioned Roxas' face the day they got into that argument. "Roxas isn't gonna be happy when he finds out."

Riku mumbled something under his breath. "Relax, your boyfriend isn't gonna be mad."

"He's not my boyfriend," she cried defensively.

"That's not what everyone is seeing. I almost imagine that by the end of the winter formal, you'll magically end up disappearing and make-out on some balcony," he chuckled.

Her face burned with embarrassment and her grip on her phone tightened. "You have ten seconds to prove why I should get in on this scheme or I'll hang up the phone. Then, at school the next day, I'm going to do something so evil to you, that you'll think that the world has just ended…well, yours anyway."

"…I don't know how Roxas is going to be able to handle you," Riku said finally. "Are you gonna let him call you "Faye" too? Or am I just that special?"

"9…8…"

"Because I know you know how they feel. They haven't had a real chance to go out on their own in that setting."

"6…5…"

"Because if you go with me, they'll be a lot more relaxed because no one is gonna really believe that you and I are dating. Far as anyone can see, we hate each other so it would be like getting rid of the tension."

Jasmine rubbed her eyes. As much as she hated it, Riku was right. Sora and Kairi could go out like a couple and then with her and Riku, they could survey the situation. There were a lot of things that could go wrong though. She could see it a mile away. But it wasn't a totally doomed to fail plan.

"It's not brilliant, but it does have its good points. Although if you want to try the dancing thing, don't make it at some really popular club; too many distractions. Besides, if Sora and Kairi aren't feeling the vibes then there's a good chance someone will see and snatch one of the two up. I'd recommend something a little quieter and save something like dancing for later _if _their relationship progresses."

In the time that Riku absorbed everything, Jasmine tried to figure how to tell Roxas what was going on. It was really strange having to come to one of her friends to ask if she could go on a mock date in order to help the relationship of a couple she really cared about.

"You know what, Faye? That's absolutely brilliant," Riku whispered finally. "And it makes perfect sense too."

Jasmine was a bit startled by his complements. "Seriously?"

"Don't doubt yourself. So it's settled then; after Naminé's art show we'll all go out."

"I didn't say I was getting involved, Riku. I still don't think—"

"Look, Faye, I wouldn't be asking you this if it wasn't necessary. We're doing this for Sora and Kairi, alright? I've had to watch them since we were five go back and forth like this. I know they both have feelings for each other and unless they get a _gentle_ push, nothing is going to happen. The last thing I want is for my best friends to miss out on something great because they were scared."

Jasmine sighed, "You know, if you would have shown this side of you early on, we might have actually been friends."

"Heh, well what would you call us then? Are we non-friends?"

"No. That doesn't sound right at all."

"Hmm, considering that you're not doing me any…_favors…_"

Jasmine grimaced. "Don't expect them either."

"We aren't friends with benefits and enemies would be a flat out lie…"

Jasmine rolled on her side. "How about partners? Simple and easy to remember."

Riku replied, "I can handle that. Good to know you're finally on my side."

"Yeah well don't expect me to start meddling on a regular basis. It seriously screws up the order of things."

"Fair enough. _Now_ you can have your beauty sleep."

"About time too. I'm worn out."

"Did Roxas already get his hands on you?"

Jasmine rolled her eyes and mentally reminded herself to punch Riku sometime after Naminé's art show. "Well wouldn't you like to know? Just shut up and let me have some peace. I'm tired and as much as I _love_ arguing with you about my personal business, I don't have the patience right now. Goodnight!"

"Make sure you wear something nice when we go out; not those sneakers and board shorts. We gotta sell it."

Sarcasm rolled off her tongue. "Of course, I'll just roll out in a club dress and my platforms, just for you."

"I won't be complaining."

"Goodnight, you dirty old man." Before Riku had a chance to say anything else, Jasmine hung up the phone and began drifting off to sleep. 'I always end up with the crazy ones.'


	20. Chapter 20: Caught in the Rain

**Author's Notes:** Okay, I'm soooo sorry! I haven't really had a chance to write, read everyone's stories or anything. Things just got way more hectic than I ever intended. I wanna thank everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter, faved it and my reviewers **animechick247, Tiryn, Queen Micky, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Khaotic Kal **and **Kanika Meskhenet**. I'll read all stories that have been reccomended and provide reviews! forgive me for taking so long!

I hope you all enjoy this long...and insightful chapter! There is a TON of RikuxJasmine/Faye in here as a peek. Reviews are welcome as usual. Take care!

-Skye

* * *

Jasmine stood in the mirror of her bathroom wearing only a towel. Her hazel eyes locked with those of her reflection. With a wet hand, Jasmine looked at her now long, dark hair, fingering the ends. It fell over her chest now in contrast to its shoulder-length state at the beginning of the school year.

"_You have such gorgeous hair." _She could hear Sofia's voice in her head.

Her fingers coiled around her wet, ebony locks and she scanned the bathroom for something she needed.

"_You know Faye, your hair is your pride as a woman. That's one of the things a man will look at when he first sees you."_

A pair of scissors with a black handle gleamed in the light, catching her attention. Jasmine took the scissors in her hand and leveled the blades with her shoulders.

"_Take good care of it and yourself. You want to be able to attract a husband from your father's inner circle, don't you?"_

Her hands trembled as she held the scissors and she couldn't understand why.

"_Do you understand me, Faye?"_

Jasmine rolled her eyes as she looked in the mirror. "Yeah, Mom, I understand." After Jasmine discarded her towel, she slipped into a pair of sweat pants and a loose fitting tank top. Despite the cool weather outside, Jasmine remained unaffected. She was thankful that she had lived on an island where there was cold weather a good portion of the year. She wrapped a hand towel around her shoulders to catch any of the falling water droplets from her hair and headed to the living room.

It was Thursday after school and there was a light rain drizzling over the island, setting a calm atmosphere over the entire area. Once Jasmine had slipped into her house shoes she ran down the stairs and admired the rain as it beat against the windows and the ground outside. There was something magical about the rain. It brought a calm over everyone caught under its spell and for Jasmine it brought two things to her.

'Tifa's gonna be home late tonight,' Jasmine turned on the television and sat in the middle of the floor, pulling her knees to her chest. 'I'll make dinner for her.'

She flipped through the channels and sighed, listening to the pitter patter against Tifa's house. One blessing the rain brought was peace. It just seemed to relax her mentally and physically, to allow her mind to wander aimlessly with no direction. Being forced to study and work all day and night was a taxing and stressful. But there was something about the rain that forced her to just…let go.

Jasmine came to the movie _Spirited Away_, one of her personal favorites from her early childhood. A slight smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. It was one of the things that reminded her of the times when she was a child. She was happy that she had just caught the movie at the very beginning to where the family was driving down the highway to a new town. Jasmine caught a glimpse of Chihiro's flowers and the card from her friend and her heart sank a bit.

Her fingers gripped her legs tighter, surely causing red marks in her skin. The rain didn't just relax Jasmine. While her mind wandered during this time she often drifted back to her memories, something she fought hard against every single time it began to sprinkle outside.

'It must be nice for a friend to think so much of someone when their buddy is leaving,' she thought sadly, staring into the screen. 'Must be nice to be liked enough in that way…'

Jasmine sighed and removed her glasses, rubbing her eyes fiercely in an attempt to keep her mind off her memories. It did not work and eventually, she slipped into a memory she thought she had buried long ago.

_Flashback_

_Jasmine stood on front porch of her house with a duffle bag under her arm. She looked back at her house and then back to the driveway where Tifa pulled up. Once the dark-haired woman waved, Jasmine ran and jumped in the passenger's seat, throwing her bag in the back and asking Tifa to drive off. _

"_Where's your parents?" Tifa asked, not yet driving off. _

"_We said bye yesterday," Jasmine replied slowly. "They're out of town. Sofia wishes you well."_

_Slightly shocked by this, Tifa was determined to keep a smile for Jasmine's sake. "No problem. Let's just get out of here. The weather looks pretty crummy. We need to get to the airport before the weather kicks up."_

_Once Tifa took off in the rental car, Jasmine relaxed and leaned her head against the window. After several moments of silence, Tifa decided now was as good a time as ever to make conversation. "I'm so glad you're coming to move in with me. It's nice having my god-daughter around."_

_Weakly, Jasmine muttered, "yeah it is."_

_Tifa watched the road carefully and let the other drivers speed past her, not wanting to hydroplane on the streets for rushing to the airport. "Did you get everything you needed that wasn't packed up and shipped to my house?"_

"_Yeah, I made sure of it."_

_Tifa looked to her right. "Did you say goodbye to anyone from your school?"_

_Jasmine tensed up at this and sank in her seat. "They'll figure it out when I'm not in my seat."_

"_Huh? Don't you think they'll miss you? I mean, did you leave them a number to reach you or anything like that?"_

_Jasmine's silence answered everything. _

"_Tifa, I'm not going to be missed. It'll be like I never existed."_

_End of Flashback_

The chime of the doorbell snapped Jasmine out of her daze. She slowly came to her feet and dabbed the back of her head to keep water from dripping down her back. With a heavy sigh, she opened the door and her eyes widened in surprise when she came face to face with her visitor.

"Riku? What are you doing here?" she asked quizzically.

The silver-haired junior stood on her doorstep, underdressed in basketball shorts and a hoodie. "I came to talk about the plan for tomorrow after Naminé's art show."

"I see," Jasmine thought out loud.

"Can I come in? I mean," Riku looked over his shoulder at the rain, "It's actually pretty wet out here."

Jasmine stepped aside. "Far be it from me to let you soak and freeze to death out there. Just make sure you take off your shoes. I don't want you getting dirt on the carpet." Once she shut the door and he slipped off his sneakers, Jasmine noticed that his head and shoulders were wet. "Technically, you shouldn't be here."

"We need to talk about what's going on tomorrow," Riku slid his gloved hands in the front pocket of his hoodie. "I don't want any slip ups."

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "A phone call would have covered it. Just because we're partners, it doesn't mean that we actually have to see each other all the time. Besides, don't you get enough of me at school?"

"Ha, you know you enjoy our conversations," he watched Jasmine disappear down the hallway and open a closet. She pulled out a blue towel and kicked the door closed as she headed back towards the entryway.

Jasmine shoved the towel in his face. "Oh yeah," she said sarcastically. "Our encounters just make me all warm and fuzzy inside."

While he dried off his head he commented, "a little less sarcasm and I might actually believe you. By the way, what did Roxas say?"

She leaned against the countertop and set her glasses by the paper towel roll. "Surprisingly, he didn't have a problem with it. He and his family are going out to celebrate afterwards."

Riku cocked a silver eyebrow. "Did he invite you?"

Jasmine dried her wavy hair and looked to the floor. "He mentioned it, but I decided to go against it. It's a family thing and I don't like intruding. Why?"

"Just wondering," Riku replied nonchalantly. 'It'd be pretty crappy for him to leave her out of his plans especially if he wants her as his girlfriend.'

"Yeah, he actually laughed at the idea," Jasmine headed to the kitchen and he followed close behind her. "Roxas doesn't actually think that there's anything he needs to worry about. I guess when you're sure of something there's no reason to freak out."

They pulled up barstools and sat across from each other. Jasmine removed her phone from her pants pocket and set it down beside her. "So what's the plan?"

"Well obviously we're going out to eat," Riku began, slightly caught off guard by Jasmine/Faye at the moment. There was something strange about the way she looked so calm and tranquil. It was exactly like the day when they were at the beach talking. Once she revealed to him her name, it was like he was looking at the real Faye. Her face was soft and gentle, her eyes were relaxed and she just seemed in her element. Once he forced himself to snap out of his trance, he continued on. "But we're going to eat at this restaurant on the beach near the amusement park."

"Not bad to start it off…"

"So after that we'll head on down to the park and hang out, but we'll isolate them and put them in close situations."

"At some point, we're going to ditch them," This wasn't a question, but a statement coming from Jasmine.

"How did you…?"

"It's kind of predictable," Jasmine admitted. "But with Sora and Kairi being so enthralled in each other, they probably won't notice. Especially Sora, because most likely, he'll be so worried about pleasing Kairi that he'll forget about whatever we're doing."

Riku leaned back and gave Jasmine a cautious stare. "Do you mind explaining how you know all this?"

"I'm not going to pretend like I know everything about everyone. I haven't had the years to pick up on everything. But there are certain things about people's behavior and traits that are easy to understand and analyze. Sora for example is relatively innocent and easy going," Jasmine began, "He truly cares about his friends, you and Kairi in particular, but he has serious feelings for Kairi. The problem with him is that he's scared she'll reject him and it'll ruin their friendship which is understandable. But like I said, there is a good chance that unless the two of them have a wake-up call, someone will take a chance."

"Do you really see that happening?" Riku asked, shivering slightly against the cool water still dripping from his hair.

"It's not impossible," Jasmine walked to the cabinet and pulled out her green tea. "Sora's adorable and a really nice guy; I already see some girl approaching him."

Riku laughed at this and watched Jasmine boil water. "Do _you _have a crush on him?"

"Not even," she replied casually. "He's a great guy but I'm not interested in him."

"You couldn't see yourself going for a younger guy?"

Jasmine stepped away from the stove. "I didn't say that. But it's just not something I could see happening. That would be a bad match."

"But you said yourself that he's a good guy."

"Yeah, but he's not for me. Sora belongs with Kairi. Case closed," she shook her head against the idea. "As for Kairi, she's sweet and really cute. Some guy is going to take notice."

Riku was having fun teasing her with all his questions. "So is it _Kairi _you have a crush on? You're gonna break Roxas' heart."

Jasmine's face paled. "I don't mean it like that! I'm not into girls!"

"I wouldn't judge you," Riku chuckled.

She slammed her hand down on the table. "Do you want me to throw you out of here?"

"Fine fine, I'll be good, promise."

After Jasmine poured the tea, she set a cup down in front of Riku. "Shut up and drink this. You're cold, I can see it. Would you start wearing clothes more appropriate for the weather?"

Once again, her ability to see past his front caught him off guard. Silently he slipped the tea and watched as she cleaned up the area. Seeing her out of her uniform was a bit strange but nice. Clad in loungewear with her hair down (which he had noticed was considerably longer) and no glasses really allowed him to take a good look at her. Sure, seeing her dressed up was nice, especially considering it really showed off her feminine side. But to see her so at ease was actually better than seeing her with make up on her face and dolled up.

'She's really beautiful…'

"Faye," he called out to her hoping to keep his mind from following that thought further.

"Yeah?"

"How are things with Roxas?"

Jasmine/Faye blinked in surprise. "I guess they're okay for now. It's not like much has happened. Like I told him, I wanna wait and see what happens at the dance. If it works out, then I guess we're together, if not…"

Riku finished the contents of his cup and gave her a hard stare. Jasmine felt a slight chill go up her spine and demanded a reason for the look.

"Do you actually like Roxas in that way? You seem unsure about the whole thing. Be honest, Faye."

Suddenly, it was like Riku was the one looking into her. She had no choice though but to come clean. There was no way she could lie to his eyes. "If you want me to be honest, I don't really have strong romantic feelings for Roxas. Is he a great guy? Yes. Has the thought of us being together crossed my mind before he asked me out? Definitely."

"Then what's the problem," his eyes were less fierce now.

"Two things: one, and probably the most important thing, I am NOT allowed to have a boyfriend, period."

"But Tifa seems pretty cool. I don't see her actually tripping off that."

Jasmine groaned. "It's not her…It's my father. Just because I don't live with him, it doesn't mean that he's not able to find out what I'm doing."

'She has problems with her father?' Riku decided to pocket that snippet of information for a later date. "And the second thing?"

"…" She refused to speak.

"Come on, answer my question."

"And what if I refuse?" she challenged, standing her ground.

Riku hopped off the stool and walked up to Jasmine. He pinned his arms at her sides, keeping her stuck between him and the counter. "Then you're not going anywhere."

"What business is it of yours to begin with?"

"I'm Roxas' friend." And then he went on to think, 'But I want to know for myself.'

"Guy code? Are you going to run off to Roxas and tell? Well I can give you this much," she stood face to face with Riku, refusing to back down, "it's not a serious problem. I didn't really plan to be in some kind of relationship when I moved out here. A lot of times, there are issues that come up with relationships and they don't always end well. Do I have something for Roxas? Yes I do. But this just didn't go with my plans and I'm caught off guard that someone I'm acquaintances with—"

"Your friend?"

Jasmine frowned and continued, "had asked me out." She pushed him out of her way and bolted for the living room with Riku hot on her trail. "This hasn't ever happened to me and I'm constantly afraid of hurting him in some kind of way." Defeated, she slumped to the floor and stared into the television. "I'm just scared I'm gonna screw this up. Do you understand?"

None of this made any sense to Riku at all. Okay, well a lot of it didn't make sense. 'She never really wanted a relationship. That's kind of weird for a high school girl. Don't they all want boyfriends? And Roxas is a cool guy. Girls would kill to be in her spot. Something else is going on with her…'

* * *

Naminé took the paintbrush and smeared blue over her painting. Roxas, who sat back and worked on his homework. He scratched behind his ear with his eraser and moaned.

"How does Jasmine finish up all this work?" Roxas slammed his book shut in irritation and turned to Naminé.

"Because she never _quits_ working," Naminé replied. "You should take after her. You could learn a thing or two."

Roxas chuckled and stared at his math problems. "Probably so; she is a genius."

Naminé chuckled and continued to paint. Roxas avoided finishing his work and tried to get a peak at the easel where she had been working meticulously for weeks. But with the back facing him and Naminé hiding it from his sight, it had been impossible to get even a tiny glance. "She is highly intelligent. That's probably one of the reasons she was able to get into the school so easily on her scholarship."

"And by the way, Naminé when can I see that picture you've been working on for like, ever?"

"Tomorrow at the show; it's the one Jasmine helped inspire."

At the mention of Jasmine's name, Roxas' interest increased ten-fold. "Really now? And how did she do that?"

Naminé peaked over her workstation but continued working. "Jasmine is quite a character. There's a lot to her that inspires me."

"Like what?"

She set down one of the brushes and rotated her wrist. "I just have a good strong feeling that there's a lot hiding behind those hazel eyes of hers that we haven't even seen yet. It's like we haven't even begun to scratch the surface of what's going on with her."

Roxas frowned at this. While Naminé was rather calm as she spoke, like she always was, it was almost as if there was something lurking in her words, something almost alarming. "Is that supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing?"

Naminé's face went blank for a moment. "I'm not trying to freak you out. Nothing like that."

"Then what do you mean? Is there something off about her?"

"She's just a person I haven't cracked yet, that's all."

Before Roxas went back to his assignment, Naminé called out to him again.

"Don't think too hard on what I said. I just started imagining things when she was last over here. You know how my mind wanders," and then she smiled reassuringly. "Just get back to work before you lose track of time. Mom and Dad are gonna be upset if you pull in any bad grades."

Still disturbed by Naminé's laced comments, he decided to just play along and smiled. "So true. I can't afford to get grounded and mess up my first date with Jasmine."

"Nope, you wanna start off on the right foot."

'Or else this relationship will just be doomed to fail…' she added mentally, going back to her painting.

* * *

It had been thirty minutes since they had stopped talking and just enjoyed the movie. However, one thing still irked Jasmine.

"If we're done talking about the plan, why are you still here?" she asked, refusing to tear her eyes away from the screen. "Don't you have a _real _date or something?"

Riku, who had taken a spot on the sofa far off from Jasmine, rolled his eyes. "First off, I'm single and lovin' it. Secondly, this is actually my favorite movie of all time."

Jasmine looked over her shoulder and cocked an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Riku continued to watch the movie. "Ever since I was a kid, I always loved this movie."

"Makes sense, it's a really good film," Jasmine said mindlessly. She heard a slight rustle of clothing and saw Riku sitting next to her with his legs stretched out while leaning on his elbows.

"Whenever it comes on," Riku began slowly, "me and my parents go into their room, sit on the bed and watch it together."

Jasmine's eyes widened. "Really?"

For a moment Riku broke away from the screen gave a small smile. "Yeah. My mom is a serious Miyazaki fan and my dad is a director so films are kind of big in our household."

"That's so awesome that you and your family can spend so much time together," she said softly. "It must be really nice. I'm sure your parents are really busy."

"It's true, but they always try to never be away very often. My dad only goes off for his really big projects and my mom stays on the island."

"What does your mom do?" she asked.

"She works in the music industry. The company is right on the island and she spends half her time at home working on stuff and for the really important meetings, that's when she goes to the office. That's the one good thing about my parents," Riku said proudly, practically beaming. "They always manage to be around."

Jasmine found the irony in the situation enraging and yet very satisfying at the same time. Here, on the end where she was almost ecstatic for Riku, his parents were fabulously wealthy from what she was told and had seen. Despite their hectic lives, the two of them made the time out to interact with their son; to actually be a real family. Even though she and Riku argued, there were still character traits that she admired and respected greatly. It was part of him as a person, but their love and care for him is what made him the guy he was today.

And yet, as she curled into herself tighter and tried to fight the tears forming in her eyes, her parents, who didn't have nearly the money that people like Sora, Kairi or Riku, were distant and cold. They only cared for social standing and cut off all emotional ties. As far as Jasmine knew, her parents still loved each other. But it was as if the money had blinded them from everything and they'd use whatever they needed to amass the wealth they long sought for. Even if it destroyed what they claimed they cared about.

"Just be thankful," Jasmine advised him. Jasmine fought hard against the stinging in her eyes. "Some people aren't as lucky as you. Both your parents obviously love you dearly." She then found herself staring at the television screen intently, watching as Chihiro was taking the train with her friends on the way to the witch's house. "If they weren't around, I don't think you'd be as good of a person as you are now. You'd be lonely."

And for one moment, one short moment, Riku saw a glimmer of…he didn't want to say it because he was still unsure, but he believed it was weakness of some sorts. Riku shifted on his elbows so he could become comfortable in all the heavy tension. Jasmine's initial personality came off as reserved yet friendly, confident, and a bit high strung with little emotional range unless she was irritated. She was always in control of everything she did.

Jasmine's eyes and his met in that instant and Riku could have sworn his heart was slowing down. It was as if the truth was shining through her gorgeous, cat-like orbs and he was drowning in them. That confident, headstrong Jasmine that he had come to know was now gone and he was once again looking at Faye, but right now in her most raw form.

Her true parents weren't around, that much he could see for himself. He'd always wanted to ask her why they let her go off on her own and move in with the aunt. He just figured that she wanted to go to a good school. But it seemed as though there was a lot of bad blood between Faye and her parents, especially with her father. And even though she was friendly with everyone in the group, always willing to help with whatever someone needed. But there was a wall up, a front of sorts. It didn't look like there was a serious connection with most of the people in their group.

She was lonely.

"Don't you ever talk to anybody about all this?" Riku asked gently, realizing that somehow he managed to scoot himself closer to Faye.

She shook her head. "No. Everyone seems happy and content with the way things are."

"I don't understand. You always are trying to figure out everyone else with all the questions and analyzing. Why don't you just…?"

"It's hard enough already going into that school. You guys already have a group that's known each other for years. I could never just slip into that puzzle. You all have a bond and some stranger just can't squeeze her way in. Besides it's not like anyone ever _really _asks me about myself. I bet no one even knows my favorite color," she shook her head, "no everyone knows that but it's an easy guess. All I wear is purple polish and most of the things I wear are purple. But no one really tries. They don't know my birthday, never really asked. They don't know what island I came from, what my favorite songs are, what I want to do when I get out of high school. Not even my first name! I know they're trying a little bit, but the things on the outside that show up easy aren't really getting to know someone."

A sharp pain practically stabbed Riku in the chest. She felt truly alone. And to a point she was right. It's hard trying to fit into a group where everyone was already friends with each other. He never had that problem; Sora and Kairi were always there for him as far back as he could remember. He'd always had his group of friends in place for him so being alone was never really anything he ever had to think about. And he realized that he hadn't opened his eyes and saw the pain she hid in front of everyone. For that he felt guilty. He was lucky.

But as she said, not everyone was as fortunate as him.

Jasmine laughed awkwardly and jumped to her feet back to the kitchen. She put up that front in her eyes again. It would seem as though she was done sharing for now. "Sorry about that, I just start talking and I end up rambling. Ignore me!"

Riku noticed that the rain had picked up considerably now and that it was getting later and later by the second. He didn't have to be home until 8 o'clock and he had a good hour to kill.

"I'm going to cook," she called out. "If you're staying, tell me now so I'll know how much to make."

Distantly, he replied, "you know what? I might just have to take you up on your offer."

Riku rose from his spot on the floor and followed behind Jasmine. When he peeked into the kitchen, she was slicing chicken breasts into bite sized pieces while talking into the phone.

"Yes I'm staying out of the weather…okay, Roxas I got sick _one time _this year and you've been sick five…"

His heart sunk when he heard Roxas' name and he couldn't fathom why.

"…so get some rest…I'm actually in the middle of cooking right now. Tifa isn't here…am I home alone? Well Tifa will be here within the hour so it'll be fine. I can take care of myself…"

Riku leaned against the doorframe and watched as Jasmine tactfully handled the conversation. She did not lie, but she was able avoid giving Roxas a straight answer.

"But Riku did stop by to run over some details for that plan…no he didn't give me any problems…"

And yet she was able to tell Roxas that he was here at her house without making it sound like something had happened.

"…so I'll talk to you later. I'm cooking right now and I don't wanna slice off my fingers…okay, take care. Bye!" And she set the phone down beside her, exhaling deeply. "I hope you're not allergic to seafood. I always throw shrimp or salmon into my cooking."

"No, I'm fine. I'll eat pretty much anything."

"That's good. I don't want to end up poisoning the school's star player." Even though Jasmine's tone was light, it was still easy to sense the strain of holding herself together. "Then all those girls would try to burn me like a witch. Not a good look."

In the silence, all that could be heard was the sound of the knife hitting the wooden cutting board. Jasmine kept her back to him the entire time while she worked and only when she set the knife down did Riku dare to speak.

"I'm so sorry, Faye."

She was taken off guard by the apology and blinked. "For what?"

There was no answer. Jasmine gasped in shock and felt the blood rush to her face at Riku's actions. He now stood behind her with his arms wrapped tight around her frame. One arm around her waist, and the other around her shoulders. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and despite the burning heat radiating from his body to hers, chills shook her to the core of her body. His warm breath tickled her neck, sending her mind further into a frenzy and her heart into a state of total panic. Jasmine was paralyzed and in the second when she was able to think, she wondered what he was feeling and if he knew how he was affecting her.

"For not understanding or thinking," Riku replied softly, not sounding as strong as he usually was. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and sighed.

'I think I'm forgetting how to breathe…'

"You didn't do anything," Jasmine protested in a whisper.

"But that's the problem. I didn't _do _anything from the start."

Her head drooped forward and she understood what he meant at this point. "I forgive you."

Riku buried his face in her soft, luscious dark hair. He didn't care that he was delaying dinner. He didn't care that he was holding Roxas' prospective girlfriend. What he cared about at this time, was Faye and no one else. She didn't fight the embrace or protest in the least. She tilted her head back, rested against him and accepted everything.

"It's alright, Riku."

What did bother him greatly, what nearly broke him down, was a single droplet of water that splattered against his hand. He wished more than anything it was just the rain, but he knew that it wasn't the case.

"I'm so sorry…"


	21. Chapter 21: Because of You

**Author's Note: **Hey you guys :) Sorry for the long wait, this is _another _dangerously long chapter. But hopefully you'll all enjoy it because it took a lot of time and effort.

The last chapter was probably my favorite to write and I'm glad everyone seemed to like it. It was actually quite personal because I went through a little bit of that (and still am to this day). You can hang around a group of people, but there can be a great deal of distance between yourself and them. Personally, I hung around a group of people but it's like we never connected. What hurts is that I'd see pictures of everyone in my "group" going off to places and having a good time, never inviting me or anything like that. Even to this day, it hurts. I'm not a saint or anything, but I still think that after everything I did for said people, a little bit of appreciation or concern would have been nice. Just thought this subject was something people could relate to and I'm glad I got such a positive reaction out of it.

I wanna thank all those who faved and read. You guys are awesome. Plus I can't forget my reviewers **Frooky90, Khaotic Kal, Sayonara Yasashii Akumi, thedistraughtnobody, Kanika Meskhenet, Queen Micky** and **animechick247**. Thank you everyone!

This chapter has more RoxasxJasmine in it. Haha a LOT more XD. There's some TifaxCloud, SoraxKairi for sure and of course RikuxJasmine/Faye. Tell me what you guys think and happy reading! Thanks once again for all the support :)

-Skye

* * *

"I don't know about this Tifa," Jasmine stared at her reflection skeptically as Tifa ran a comb through the latter's hair. "Are you sure I can pull this off?"

Tifa smiled and tossed the comb on her bed. "What are you talking about? You look great."

Jasmine ran her fingers along the zipper of her leather jacket. "This is definitely a step up from my sweat pants and hoodies." For the evening, she donned an outfit of black on black. She wore a halter top with a square neckline that tied like a corset in the back. The top overlapped a pair of dark skinny jeans and to finish it off she wore towering black, platform, peep toe pumps.

"I agree," Tifa gave the young girl a spin and admired her work on making Jasmine over. "This style seems to suit you a lot more. I'm just shocked you could fill out that top. I used to wear it when I was in college."

The heat rushed to Jasmine's face. "It's not like I'm a wall, Tifa," she said indignantly. "I know I'm not as big as you but sheesh!"

Tifa broke out into hearty laughter and grabbed a red ribbon that sat on her dresser. "Just be glad you've got something there that's _natural_." She tied Jasmine's hair into a loose side ponytail. "Are you looking forward to tonight?"

Jasmine's shoulders slumped forward. "Honestly, no. I really don't like interfering in other people's lives. It's not my place."

"Then," she fluffed Jasmine's hair before knotting the ribbon again, "why are you doing this?"

"Supposedly to help out a friend," Jasmine answered plainly. "I told Riku that after this, I'm not getting involved."

Tifa gave her a suspicious look. "The same Riku who gives you grief? Honestly Jasmine I don't understand this one bit." But Tifa had a slight idea of what was going on. She just didn't say anything because she wanted to see how this would all pan out.

_Flashback_

_Tifa pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine, listening to the pitter-patter of the rain hitting her car. After a long day at work, the relaxing sounds of the rain seemed to wash away all the stress and tension. _

_She buttoned up her leather trench coat, grabbed her purse and headed for the entrance on the side of the house. At least the side of the house had a large awning to protect her from the rain. She walked slowly to the backside and opened the side gate and walked along the stone pathway into her backyard to the side door. _

_Once she'd escaped the rain, she leaned against the wall of the house and just watched the rain fall. All thoughts of work faded away as she stared into the dark sky. Thoughts of bills, shopping trips, training waitresses and chefs disappeared. _

_But a certain blond gentleman entered her mind, causing her to sigh heavily. _

'_Cloud…'_

_Shaking her head to put that thought away, tossing water droplets everywhere, Tifa fished out her house keys and headed for the side door/window to the kitchen. When she finally looked up though, she saw something she never would have imagined. Tifa brushed her sleeve against the glass to get a better view of what was going on in her house. _

_That silver-haired boy whom Jasmine complained about, Riku, was standing in the kitchen with Jasmine. _

"_What is he doing here?"_

_And then less than a second later, he had wrapped his arms tightly around Jasmine, who seemed to be frozen from shock. He seemed to be speaking to her and his face reflected pain. Tifa looked closer. Jasmine's face was slightly obscured but from what she could see and from her body language, Jasmine seemed quite relaxed in this position. _

_It was so intimate and it caught Tifa off guard. Was she really looking at the same boy? _

_Jasmine sighed a bit and leaned her head back so it was obvious that she was comfortable with Riku even though something was off. _

"_I'd better give them some space and talk to her later…" And with that Tifa headed back to her car._

_End of Flashback_

"It's like the two of you are bonding," Tifa stated, putting on her best smile. "I don't hear you talking about him with disgust anymore. Have things settled down?"

Jasmine threw a pair of her sneakers in her purse for later on. High heels at an amusement park was _not _an adventure worth trying. "Not really. He's still the same pain in the butt jerk, he just calmed down considerably. We do get along occasionally."

"I know…" and then Tifa deadpanned, "I saw you two yesterday after I got home from work."

All the color from Jasmine's face drained and she hoarsely said, "Oh my goodness…"

"I'm not upset, Jasmine," Tifa reassured her. "If anything, I'm a little stunned." She took a seat on the end of her bed and ran her fingers over the patterns in her comforter. "One minute, you hate each other and the next…it's almost like you guys are in a relationship."

"We are," Jasmine tried to gain composure. "We're in a partnership."

"Partnership? Of what kind?"

Jasmine threw her purse over her shoulder. "We're working together to help out a friend. And we just talk outside of school, nothing dangerous there."

Tifa frowned a bit at the tone Jasmine was using. It was nonchalant and bland. "It sounds like you don't care about him at all."

"I'm not a heartless shrew, Tifa," Jasmine said as she headed for the door. "It's nothing that needs to be worried about."

"But do you care about this young man? I mean, it seems like you're trusting him more."

Jasmine paused in the doorway and mused over the thought. 'Trust huh? Well, maybe I am a little bit.' She brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "I trust Riku a little, but I'm just waiting and watching. Getting too comfortable can really screw you over one day."

* * *

Roxas grabbed Jasmine by the hand, pulling her through the hallway of the art building. He'd barely said five words to her from the time she arrived. Once again, her appearance stunned him and Roxas always felt like a lump of stupidity whenever she stepped out of her school uniform.

He gulped but kept his eyes on the hall, weaving himself and Jasmine through the throngs of people. Several teachers, administrators and several art critics turned out for the event. One of the things that the school was famous for (besides it being catered to the affluent and its academics) was its visual and performing arts program. Scouts and recruiters from all over searched for young talented artists for their schools or companies and occasionally, someone who stood out was fortunate enough to be selected.

A sharp whistle startled Roxas and he froze, shortly after that being tackled by a certain red-headed, green-eyed best friend of his. "You know," Axel cooed, "I waiting here for you for almost twenty minutes."

Jasmine stepped back and watched the two tussle. "I think it's my fault, Axel. He was waiting on me," she admitted sheepishly.

Without looking at her, Axel replied, "well he knows I hate standing around here. I look like some weirdo."

"Who said you weren't weird?" Roxas teased, shoving Axel away.

The redhead placed his hands in the pockets and rolled his eyes. "You're the last one to talk, buddy. I ought to embarrass you in front of…" When Axel's eyes hit Jasmine, a mischievous smile spread across his face. "Oh, _now _I see why you kept me waiting."

Roxas slapped Axel roughly across the back. "Stop checking Jasmine out. It's creepy."

"As long as I don't touch her, I'm not doing anything wrong."

"Dude, she's still a minor."

"Hmm…how old is she again?"

All while this conversation took place, Jasmine decided to sneak off and see what Naminé had been working so hard on for the past few months. The only time Naminé had given Jasmine a peak was when she showed her the colors she was using. All she asked was Jasmine's opinion and that was it.

'I wonder what it looks like.'

"Jasmine!" a familiar voice cried. "Over here!"

Naminé, who appeared angelic in a knee-length white strapless dress, rushed over to Jasmine and wrapped her arms around her. "You made it."

"Wouldn't miss it," Jasmine smiled. "Now, let's see what my favorite artist has been working on. I'm ready to be dazzled!"

They linked arms and headed to an area near the back that was dedicated to her. Jasmine's eyes widened in wonder at the dozens of watercolor paintings Naminé had created. From sunsets, to paintings of the ocean and to landscapes, the blond artist had done it all. They were all very realistic but had a touch of fantasy to them with the choice of bright colors. Jasmine was like a child looking at the stars for the first time. She was mesmerized.

"And this," after a couple stepped away from the next portrait, Naminé pulled Jasmine in front of the easel, "is the one _you _helped me create."

Jasmine gasped in surprise. "Nam….oh my god…"

"Speechless huh?"

Jasmine nodded. 'It's a painting of…me.'

True to her word, that's what Naminé had painted. It was a portrait of Jasmine standing in front of a gold mirror wearing a simple white dress that reached her knees. In the reflection was an image of Jasmine (with noticeably longer hair) in a black dress with a sly, furtive smile on her face with a fierce stare in her eyes. But the action in the portrait was what was most mind boggling. The "dark" Jasmine was falling back in the mirror with her arms around the "light" Jasmine's waist. The girl dressed in white had a look of fear in her eyes and was reaching out to something for help.

'But she'll fall regardless,' Jasmine reasoned, figuring out the story behind the portrait. 'The one in the black dress is gonna take her off into the darkness. She can't escape no matter what.'

"Well," Naminé clasped her hands together, "what do you think? Be honest. I won't get mad if you don't like it."

"You think I don't like it?"

She looked to the painting, and then back to Jasmine. "Well actually you haven't given me an opinion at all."

"…it's amazing," Jasmine breathed. But even though she found the painting to be breathtaking with a good use of color with the background (the dramatic purple drapery and accents of blue in the nighttime sky), she found it eerily accurate. It was like Naminé was analyzing her and knew that there was more to her than what she was telling everyone. "I'm honored actually that you used me as a model."

Naminé took Jasmine's hands and squeezed them tightly in hers. "I'm so happy! I was scared you'd be mad that I kinda put you out there without asking. In fact, I'd like to use you as my model for more of my pieces. Is that alright with you?"

There was no way anyone could deny someone as sweet as Naminé. "If you really want me too—"

"Of course I do. I'm just happy you like it!" Once again the pair met for a friendly hug. But as Jasmine patted Naminé's back, she couldn't ignore the feeling of heaviness in her stomach. Having someone silently call out what you were trying to hide, no matter how good the other person's intensions were, was still cause for worry.

* * *

Roxas had managed to ditch Axel for a moment and had isolated Jasmine in an empty hallway. She leaned back against the lockers while Roxas stood in front of her.

"…and I think Axel spotted one of his old friends so he just took off," Roxas finished.

"That man is odd," Jasmine stated with a chuckle. "Has he always been so strange?"

Roxas shrugged his shoulders. "Probably so, but I can always count on Axel. I trust him completely."

"It's nice that you have a friend like that," She shook off her leather jacket and caught Roxas' eyes on her. "Is there something wrong?"

"Uh, umm," he blushed and turned away, "no. You just—err, look really nice. It's a different look."

Jasmine smiled and while he was staring off somewhere else, she pulled her top up. 'Don't want anything falling out. How did I let Tifa talk her into wearing this shirt?'

"But," he cleared his throat, "he's always been there for me when I needed him. He's like an older brother to me and Naminé. He likes you too."

A dark eyebrow shot up. "Then what's with the creeper act?"

"He just thinks you're hot," he laughed nervously. "If you were older, I'm sure he'd try to ask you out. I guess I'm lucky it turned out differently and you were my age."

"How so?"

Roxas' smile from earlier faded and he looked to his feet, shoving his hands in his pockets. Jasmine noticed his discomfort and tilted his chin up with her hand.

"You started something, so finish it," she said gently.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to form words with the heat of Jasmine's touch shutting down his brain. "Because I think he might be able to win you over."

"Axel can be charming in his own way, although I'm not seeing it right now, but how do you know that he'd be the kind of guy I wanted?"

"I just think about it whenever we all hang out 'cause he's extra friendly with you."

Jasmine's hand slipped and she placed her glasses in her purse. As she rubbed her temples she told him, "That will never be an issue. Unless, "she teased, "I suddenly find myself attracted to redheads with tattoos on their faces in the future."

"Don't say that," Roxas rolled my eyes, "let's not give him the satisfaction of knowing—"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her vibrating cell phone. There was a text message from Riku saying that it was time to leave so they could go about with the plan. "Looks like it's time to go and hook up our best friends. This should be fun."

Roxas didn't want her to leave just yet. It always seemed as though she had to disappear whenever he wanted to talk. But then again, he could never get out the words he wanted to say when he had the opportunity. He always froze up at the last minute.

"I don't want you to go," Roxas took a step closer to Jasmine.

"Haha well I'm gonna have to go in a second. Don't want the old man to have a reason to give me crap," she laughed. But when Jasmine finally met Roxas' gaze, her heart picked up the pace. This look was much different from what he had always given her. Usually his eyes were either filled with confusion or light from laughter. Now they were determined and coated over with something she had never seen.

Ever so gently, he pinned her to the lockers and took her face in his hand. "He can wait. What's the worst thing he can say?"

She felt her insides squirm. Their foreheads were touching. "It's Riku. I'm sure he can think of something."

Roxas scoffed.

Their noses touched now.

"Well he can deal with me later."

Before Jasmine could open her mouth to say something Roxas gently pressed his lips to hers, silencing Jasmine immediately.

'Oh. My. GOD! He's kissing me! Roxas is kissing me!'

A few seconds later Roxas pulled back, his face a light shade of pink. "I'm sorry," he apologized, stepping away from her. "I shouldn't have done that."

Jasmine felt torn. She had slight feelings for Roxas but then she still wanted to just be friends because somewhere along the line things would get complicated. But Jasmine couldn't deny that she felt a tiny spark when he kissed her just then. No matter how miniscule it was.

"I'm so sorry, Jasmine," he repeated sadly, head drooping forward again.

Swallowing hard, she gently grabbed him by his shirt collar and pulled him towards her. "Don't say sorry again," she whispered before kissing him again, this time more aggressively.

Roxas was a bit startled at first but when his mind processed the fact that she was actually kissing _him_, he let go of everything, slid his thumbs into the belt loops of her jeans and kissed her back enthusiasm.

Neither of them had known how much time had passed but when it was all over, Jasmine's back was against a wall and her phone was practically screaming at her. "Roxas…"

He seemed to be lost in his own world, continuously stealing kisses. "Yes?"

"I have to go now. Seriously."

'Dammit, Riku.' Roxas frowned as he backed off. For interrupting his time with Jasmine, Riku's scheme _has _to work. "I guess I need to let you go now."

"Yeah, that'd be a good idea." She brushed her bangs out of her eyes and gathered her things. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Roxas planted a kiss on her cheek and sent her off. "Whenever you can. See ya."

Jasmine didn't reply, but she grinned while she looked over her shoulder. 'What a night…I'm sure I'm gonna regret this later.'

* * *

"This is a cool restaurant," Kairi said as she set her hoodie in her lap. She turned to Sora who sat next to her in the booth. "What do you think Sora?"

Sora observed the restaurant in wide eyed wonder. It really took the whole, tropical island theme quite literally. It was an outdoor restaurant surrounded from all sides and angles by exotic plants and flowers. The lighting was actually quite dim, giving off a romantic vibe and the soft contemporary music accentuated it. "It's like being in some kind of forest."

"I'll say," Jasmine agreed, trying to not be so absorbed in her surroundings herself. "Riku, where did you find this place?"

Riku, who ordered a round of drinks for the table, said, "Actually, my cousins took me here one time when they came to visit. The food is good and this place caters to teenagers and young adults. That's probably the main reason I like it here."

"When my aunts and uncles would come to visit, we'd always end up at these up-tight restaurants where I'd be afraid to sneeze," Kairi laughed, a beautiful sound to Sora's ears. "It's always 'sit up' or 'don't look around' or my favorite, 'stop looking so bored' and I was always ready to fall asleep at the table."

"Or," Sora tapped Kairi's shoulder, "like the time my parents took us to see that opera. Kairi, I'm sorry but I couldn't do it. I knocked out ten minutes into it."

She placed a hand over his, making Sora's face flush red. "I know and its okay. I would've joined you too. It was kinda cute though."

Riku and Jasmine shot each other quick glances, knowing what the other was thinking. Stealthily, Riku took out his cell phone and sent Jasmine a text. Just a sneaky as he'd been, she read the message and grinned.

"_Let's play with this a little bit."_ Was what Riku said.

"I can picture it," Jasmine began slowly, "Sora, all dressed up, looking great and then falling asleep."

"At least you weren't snoring," Kairi added. "That would've been embarrassing."

Once the waitress delivered the drinks, a blue-ish, cocktail-looking like beverage, Jasmine took a sip of hers. "That's so cute," she said with a sly smile. "Sora, you're actually really _adorable_."

At Jasmine's comment, Kairi began to stiffen up while Sora laughed nervously. "Nah, I'm just okay. I wouldn't say adorable or anything like that."

"And he's humble too," Jasmine turned to Riku, an all-knowing look in her eyes, "but don't be modest. You're cute, deal with it."

"Yeah, Sora," Riku leaned over the table, "accept the woman's complement."

"Haha," Sora scratched his cheek, "thanks Jaz."

"Just calling it as I see it, you don't have to thank me for that. I mean, c'mon now. It's fairly obvious."

"I always saw myself as the plain type," Sora smiled but looked down at his menu.

"You're not plain, Sora. Far from it!" Kairi blurted out, blushing once she caught herself.

'Bingo', Jasmine and Riku thought, watching the pair of sophomores struggle for the right words to say.

Riku smirked and typed away on his phone, sending Jasmine another message. "_Well done. We'll take care of the rest at the amusement park."_

"_Be my guest,"_ Jasmine responded, sitting back in her seat.

"_It's about ten minutes away from here."_

"_Huh, I thought you said it was close…"_

"_Haha ten minutes is close. Just sit back and enjoy dinner."_

Jasmine rolled her eyes and drew another long swig from her glass. "Fine."

* * *

"That was so good," Jasmine told Riku once they buckled up their seatbelts his car. Sora, who drove a midnight blue BMW sped past them, deciding to go ahead and just meet them at the front of the amusement park. "I haven't had pasta that good in a while."

"Good," he said with a slight smile, "I thought you'd like it. That's why I ordered for you."

They sat there in the parking lot for a good two minutes, each going off into their own thoughts. While Riku tried to figure out a good plan, Jasmine leaned against the door and sighed.

"You don't have to pay for me, you know," she said with a huff.

"What are you talking about? Why _wouldn't _I pay for you? This is a date…" and then he quickly added "-ish. This is a date-ish."

"I could've taken care of it you know." Jasmine rubbed her eyes. "Just because I don't have the kinda cash everyone else has, it doesn't mean that I can't pay for things on my own."

Riku cracked his knuckles. "I wasn't thinking that…it's just how I work. I don't let my date pay for an outing. _Especially _when it's my idea."

"I can accept that," she breathed, sinking into the seat and falling into silence.

"What's wrong, Faye?" Riku asked gently. She'd been slightly off the whole night. From the time when she first got into the car to come to the restaurant, till now, she hadn't been totally herself. "Did something happen that I didn't know about?"

She was silent but the reason why she was upset was clear.

"What did Roxas do?" Riku asked finally, not really wanting to hear the answer but at the same time, knowing that he needed to.

Her face reddened. "He kissed me."

Riku gripped the steering wheel and started the car. Luckily for him, Jasmine couldn't see how he was practically ready to tear off the wheel, driving faster than usual in addition to that. "What's the problem? He didn't force himself on you, did he?"

Hearing the slight edge of danger had Jasmine shaking her head furiously. "No, no, he wasn't. Promise."

"Okay then. What's wrong?"

She blew her bangs out of her eyes. "It…" she sighed, "It didn't seem right and even though I like him a little bit, I regret it."

"Because now he's gonna have expectations of you," Riku finished. "Knowing him, he's probably so happy about it that he's not gonna even think about the possibility of you not really wanting to be with him." He cleared his throat and switched lanes. "What's so wrong about being with him? I think Roxas could make you happy."

Jasmine removed her glasses and slipped off her shoes. 'He sounds kinda down.' Once her sneakers were on her feet, she asked, "You really wanna look out for Roxas, don't you?"

"I'm looking out for the two of you," he told her. "Believe it or not, I actually care about you."

She smiled sadly and slipped into her leather jacket. "I believe you, Riku. And despite how much you make me want to throw you off a cliff sometimes, I care about you too. But…I suck at relationships. That's why I'm not too keen on being in one."

"Care to explain?"

"I'm not trusting of people. I don't give away trust easily and even after I've been friends with a person for a while, I still don't trust them."

"Hmm, I can see how this translates…wait, you don't trust Roxas," he concluded, eyes widening at the discovery. "That's part of it."

"Exactly," the smile faded. "He's a good guy, but it's always the good ones who end up shocking you the most. And then something happens that knocks you off your feet. _Bam!_ You just got backslapped. It's easier to deal with people who you _know _you have to keep yourself on your toes for. They don't surprise you as badly and it's easier to move on."

'What in the world has she been through to make her hate people so much?' He thought.

"I've seen that a lot with boys. Well, with me anyway. It's happened so many times that I just think it's better if I'm alone."

'And that's another reason why she won't give him her name,' Riku reasoned, 'she doesn't want to put herself through anything else.'

"But I'm just running my mouth again so don't think about it, really."

"You're being honest, Faye. Don't take it back at this—"

"Oh look we're here!" she cut him off, pointing to the amusement park. "Sora and Kairi must be waiting for us."

Riku frowned and pulled into the parking lot. 'You're not getting off the hook this easily.'

* * *

The doorbell rang to the Lockhart household and Tifa, who was half-asleep on the couch, jumped to her feet, stumbling slightly as she reached the door. "Just a sec…"

Once she opened the door, Tifa gasped in surprise. "Cloud…"

He was staring off into space when she greeted him. Once he finally turned to face her, he stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets. "Hi, Tifa," he said softly.

"What are you doing here?" She asked sweetly. From his uncertainty and stiffness, she only guessed that he came for a visit. "Would you like to come in?"

He muttered a "sure" before stepping into her home. Tifa watched him as he kicked off his shoes, a little concerned for why he came. "Would you like some tea or coffee?"

Cloud nodded his head and watched her disappear into the kitchen. He'd only been here once or twice, but the visits were often very short and he didn't take the time to actually really look around. He glanced all around the entryway and looked at all the photographs. Several of the people in the photos he recognized, a few he did not. One in particular caught his eye. It was of Tifa at the beach with that dark-haired, hazel eyed girl he'd seen Tifa with.

He picked up the picture and smiled. Tifa's wine colored eyes always seemed to sparkle.

Tifa returned, catching Cloud in the act of staring at the photograph. "Oh yeah, that's when me and Jasmine went to the beach a few years ago."

'Jasmine…that was her name.' He set the photo back down. "I see. Doesn't she live here?"

"Yeah but she's out for the night. I'm looking after her while she goes to school on the island," Tifa told him. "It's really nice having her around."

"I bet," Cloud and Tifa moved into the living room. "How long has she been here?" he took a seat on the sofa, sitting a fair distance from her.

"I'd say," Tifa looked up to the ceiling, counting the months in her head, "about five months or so. She seems to get along well with everyone. Leon, Yuffie," Tifa chuckled, "oh Yuffie adores her. She drives Jasmine crazy though. Zack, Aerith, even Vincent…" and then she said softly, "the only one we haven't been around is you."

Cloud straightened up considerably at the sadness in Tifa's voice. As much as he wanted to say something to explain everything, he couldn't. Not yet.

"We've missed you, all of us," Tifa brushed her hair out of her face. "You just disappeared for years. We were all worried."

Cloud couldn't deny it. He did disappear for years. Coupled with his job as a SOLDIER and chasing someone from his past, Cloud had been gone forever. Occasionally he talked to Zack, but that in itself was rare. He'd left everyone behind, including the one person who meant the most to him.

"But like I said," she patted his bare shoulder, her touch burning his skin. "As long as you're safe, it really doesn't matter."

Everything he'd been holding in for years, every word that he'd had saved up for this moment was lodged in his throat. His head dropped in shame at his cowardice and he vowed to one day to release it all. But for now, "I'm sorry" was the only thing he did and could be said at this time.

* * *

"I wanna get on the roller coaster!" Kairi pointed to a tall, red/green coaster about thirty yards away.

Jasmine looked up at the coaster skeptically and grimaced. "You wanna go on _that_?"

Sora, jumping up and down like a child on a sugar high, tugged Jasmine along. "C'mon! It's so awesome! There's no floor so your feet are dangling and there's loop-de-loops and everything! You'll love it."

"I don't know about this," Jasmine eyed the ride cautiously.

Kairi and Sora shot each other mischievous glances. Kairi took hold of Jasmine's other hand and the two took off running towards the line. She looked over her shoulder helplessly as Riku watched his friends drag her, taking his sweet time to meet up with them. Once they were all waiting in the line, Jasmine pouted, watching Sora and Kairi banter about like children.

Riku leaned down and whispered to Jasmine, "What's the problem? Scared of heights?"

"No," she whispered back.

"Scared of coasters? They're not that bad."

She shook her head robotically, watching people exit the ride with their hair askew and their eyes enlarged.

"Then what is it?"

Jasmine stood on her toes and whispered in his ear, "I've never been on a roller coaster because I've never been to an amusement park before." When she was done, she stepped away from him, leaning against the rail.

While Sora and Kairi slipped into their own world, Riku stood in front of her, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Are you serious? You've never been to an amusement park?"

"No, not ever," Jasmine replied sheepishly. "My parents never took me and I never went with any friends so this is my first time."

"Not even Disneyland?" Riku gently pushed Jasmine further along in the line as it moved closer to the front. "Please tell me you've been to Disneyland," he pleaded.

The rueful look in her eyes told it all.

'What kind of childhood has this girl had? Who _hasn't _been to Disneyland?'

Sora, Kairi, Riku and Jasmine were nearing the front of the line. Kairi tucked all her loose belongings in her purse while Jasmine did the same. Riku grabbed her elbow. "You don't have to do this. I'll sit out with you."

"No…" she swallowed. "I wanna do this." Jasmine's hand shook while she watched the cars take off. Sora and Kairi separated off into the first row, waiting for the coaster while Riku and Jasmine took the seat behind them.

Riku, seeing this, took hold of her hand in an attempt to calm her nerves. She looked up curiously, innocence and confusion shining in her eyes.

"Don't worry, nothing is gonna happen to you. Promise. Do you trust me?"

It was as if all her fears and worries faded away with his touch. She couldn't understand this feeling, but it was a good one. Jasmine smiled shyly. "I trust you."

* * *

"Is it natural for my feet to hurt so much after walking around this park," Kairi asked Sora as they sat and waited for Jasmine and Riku to bring back hot chocolate. It was almost midnight by now in early December so it was exceptionally cold outside. Kairi leaned against Sora for support and the brunette blushed, happy that she felt so comfortable being with him.

"Only when we've been running around the park for as long as we have," Sora replied, watching couples walk hand in hand towards the exit. His attention then turned back to Kairi who rested her head on his shoulder.

He couldn't believe how adorable she looked and how lucky he was to have someone like her on his arm. She wore a denim skirt over pink leggings, a long-sleeved pink turtleneck and a white, fitted hoodie over that with UGG boots on her feet and a white knit cap over her head. She was like a winter-time angel: absolutely flawless in his eyes. Then she had such a wonderful personality; always polite, but playful and sweet as can be.

Several guys their age walked by, giving Kairi stares up and down. Protectively, Sora wrapped his arm around Kairi's shoulders and sent a glare to keep their eyes to themselves.

"What's wrong, Sora?" Kairi asked, stifling a yawn but not wanting to move from her current position.

"Oh, uh, nothing!" he said quickly. "Did you have fun, Kairi?"

"I had a lot of fun. All those roller coasters, attractions and the food on top of what we ate at the restaurant was amazing," she smiled, "plus we have a lot of pictures so that way we'll always remember this night."

"Usually I hate those photo booths," Sora admitted, sticking out his tongue.

"Aww but you looked so cute!" Kairi searched in her purse for the pictures but Sora placed a hand over hers.

"It's okay, we don't need to revisit that incident. It was so cramped in there."

"But I got some cute pictures of us so we won't forget all the fun we had. They're special."

"I'm glad you had fun," Sora then looked around for any sign of Jasmine and Riku but came up short. "You know, those two have disappeared on us a lot tonight."

Kairi pursed her lips. "Do you think _they_ wanted some alone time?"

"Jasmine and Riku?" Sora scoffed. "The only way they'd want 'alone time' is if Jasmine just killed him and wanted to find a place to stash his body."

Kairi broke out into a fit of laughter. "Don't forget, she's gotta find a way to completely isolate the two of them."

"Right," Sora played along. "There are too many witnesses in the area. She's gotta be crafty. Knowing Jasmine, she probably just poisoned him and is trying to hide the corpse in some bushes. I hope she grabbed his car keys first."

Little did they know, Riku and Jasmine were standing maybe ten feet away from them. They watched the two joke around with each other and it seemed as though all the time they spent alone really brought them closer together.

"Do you see them? It's so adorable!" Jasmine practically squealed in excitement.

"It was a good idea leaving them alone so often," Riku said, "especially after you'd leave those hints and comments. It forced them to think about it."

"I think we've done our job," they watched Sora and Kairi sit close to one another, totally engrossed in their conversation to notice two pairs of eyes watching them intently. "They're heading off in the right direction."

"Agreed…" several seconds later he deadpanned, "There's no way you could kill me," Riku rolled his eyes.

"Oh I bet I could," Jasmine challenged, sipping her hot chocolate.

"In your dreams," Riku downed the rest of his beverage and tossed his container into a nearby trashcan, making the shot.

She sighed. "We're gonna be fighting till we actually do kill each other." They began to walk from around the ticket booth and waved to Sora and Kairi.

Riku then grinned devilishly. "Or until _something_ _else_ happens."

Jasmine caught the double meaning of his joke but didn't think to hard about it. She walked on ahead and smirked over her shoulder. "Oh yeah, or _something_ _else_…"

Riku paused for a moment and watched her walk on. His mind almost wandered over that thought but he quickly shook it off. No sense in heading off down _that _dangerous path.

* * *

"Did you see them holding hands as they left the park?" Jasmine slid into the car followed shortly by Riku.

"Of course I saw," Riku started the car and smiled in satisfaction. "I couldn't have done this without you."

She slipped her arms into her jacket and yawned. "It was fun. As long as Sora and Kairi are happy, nothing else really matters. Isn't it why we came out here in the first place?"

"Very true, but I wanted to say thanks for everything. You didn't have to come and I really appreciate it."

Jasmine put her glasses in their case and tore the red ribbon out of her hair, neatly tucking everything back in her purse. "You're welcome, Riku. And thanks for taking me to my first theme park. I had a lot of fun."

"Anytime," and then Riku thought, 'as long as I can see you smile, I don't care.'

"At least I can say I finally did it," Jasmine covered her mouth when she yawned and curled into herself while the car drove off into the night. And then, before slipping off into a deep sleep, she added, "and it's all because of you."


	22. Chapter 22: Nothing Less

**Author's Note: **Hmm, so I'll be starting school in a while so I don't know how fast I can crank out these chapters. I will finish all three of my stories, I promise you all that. I don't think I can express to you all how much I appreciate all the support that this story and I have gotten over this time. You don't know how much joy it brings me knowing that you all enjoy my stories and that they're being read. I'm honored, truly.

I wanna thank all my readers, those who fave, those who alert and those who reviewed (**Catalyna Cullen, thedistraughtnobody, Khaotic Kal, Queen Micky, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, ****animechick247, Frooky90, Angie-ange, Kanika Meskhenet**). I hope you all like this chapter! I brought in one character who's been causing trouble this entire time but this person has yet to make an appearance. Plus I introduced a few new characters. Tell me what you all think and I'll try to get out another chapter soon, hopefully before the end of the week.

-Skye

* * *

"And then I went on a lot of roller coasters," Jasmine explained as she and Tifa sat in the living room at a large coffee table close to the floor. While Jasmine studied for her exams next week, Tifa went over business for her restaurant. It always seemed as though things got busier than usual around the holiday season.

Tifa took a clip and tied back her hair. "It sounds like you had a lot of fun. I'm glad."

As Jasmine punched in numbers on her calculator, she flipped through the pages in her math textbook. "I did."

"And how did the art show go? We didn't have a chance to talk about it yet," Tifa clicked her pen and scribbled down her signature at the bottom of the page. "How did Naminé's paintings come out?"

"They were beautiful, Tifa," Jasmine took a moment and brushed her hair over her shoulder, tied back with the same red ribbon her aunt had given her the previous night. "Some people were born for certain things. Selphie, the brunette, is born to dance. Kairi was born to swim and Naminé was born to paint. She even used me as a model for her main piece."

"I'll have to check out her paintings. The way you talk about them, it's like they're magic or something."

Jasmine popped a grape into her mouth. "You've got to see them, Tifa. She's so talented."

"And how's Roxas? Did you two have fun last night?"

Jasmine's eyes shot open. 'I knew she'd been waiting for this.' She remembered the kiss she and Roxas shared last night and there was no way she could deny how nice it was. "He's fine."

Tifa stared at Jasmine suspiciously. "From the way your face is turning red, I'd have to say that something happened. What?" Tifa went back to signing paperwork. "Did he kiss you?"

"Kinda," she squeaked.

"There's no 'kinda' in this situation. Either he did, which I'm guessing he did because of the look on your face, or he didn't and I _highly _doubt that one."

"Fine," Jasmine moaned, "he kissed me last night in the hallway."

Tifa pushed all her paperwork aside and rested her elbows on the table. "So, have you officially accepted him as your boyfriend _yet_? This is getting pretty deep, Jasmine."

"Well," Jasmine returned to her studies, "I figure I might as well try this thing out before I make any rash decisions and screw up our friendship. Besides, Roxas is great. And who knows? We might actually become closer with us being a couple."

With a heavy sigh, Tifa whipped a strand of hair around her ear. "And if your father finds out about this?"

Jasmine had been tapping her pencil against the table rhythmically until the word "father" flew out into the conversation. She kept her eyes focused on her study guide while her mouth curved into a tight frown.

"I only want you to be mindful of this," Tifa began. "Sofia wouldn't be much of an issue."

"Ha," Jasmine scoffed, "she'd probably do a backflip if she knew I was dating a wealthy boy from school."

"But your father….I don't know. Just play it cool for a while, okay?"

Jasmine went back to taking notes. "Don't worry I will. But with winter break coming up it's gonna be a bit difficult. After the winter formal I'll have to figure something out."

Tifa eyed her. "You already saw this coming huh? With the winter holiday?"

"I just have a bad feeling about this winter," Jasmine said. "I can't tell you what it is but I _know _that my father isn't going to stay silent this time around. I'm going to try to work out a plan once I figure out what's going on in his head. Then I can work my way around whatever he has up his sleeve so I can keep my sanity."

Tifa's wine-colored eyes softened with ruefulness. "You know, that's the one thing you and your father have in common."

"DNA?" Jasmine joked dryly.

"You both are very strategic. It's a little scary sometimes how you two think alike."

"I am nothing like him," Jasmine tried to keep her voice under control but her obvious anger was hard to mask. "I'll claim Sofia faster than I will that—"

"Jasmine, relax," Tifa saw where this conversation was going and wanted to cool things off before it got any more dangerous. "We'll just worry about it when the time comes. Agreed?"

With a heavy heart and anger still welled up inside her chest, Jasmine replied, "Agreed."

* * *

Selphie squealed in excitement and Kairi promptly slapped her hand across the brunette's mouth.

"Do you think you can be any louder Selphie?" Tidus asked sarcastically as Selphie tore Kairi's hand away.

"I can't believe you aren't more excited about this!" She cheered. She turned to Roxas who rolled his eyes while fighting a fierce blush. "And you! You've taken Jasmine right off the market for all the boys at this school. Tell me," Selphie smiled wickedly as she backed Roxas into the lockers, "how does it feel finally having the girl you've been crushing on?"

Kairi and Sora shook their heads while Riku shrugged his shoulders. He stood away from the group, lost in thought but occasionally catching bits and pieces of the conversation.

"Maybe you shouldn't have told anyone," Tidus said, slapping his fellow blond roughly on the back. "But congrats man. I'm happy for ya."

Roxas held back the long string of curse words when Naminé appeared at his side. "If you beat up my brother, he won't be that much good to Jasmine."

"Always the peacekeeper," Riku chuckled.

Naminé smiled. "So what are we waiting for?" she glanced at her watch. "Class starts in three minutes."

"Waiting for Jasmine," Roxas replied. "She's usually here early. I don't know why she's late."

"Well brother," Naminé pushed Tidus and Roxas off towards the direction of their respective classes, "If you get in trouble for being tardy then you won't be able to go to the formal and Jasmine will be disappointed."

"Geez, Roxas," Tidus allowed Naminé to push him towards class while Sora and Kairi followed behind laughing and walking close, "who knew your sister was so pushy?"

Riku however stayed behind. He didn't really care about whether or not he got marked as tardy, even though he'd be looking at a detention. Something didn't feel right and he had an idea that it revolved around a certain hazel-eyed junior.

* * *

"And here I was thinking you'd be happy to see me," Sofia said as Reno and Rude drove Jasmine to school, half an hour into the first class of the day. She checked her makeup through the mirror of her compact and reached into her purse for her lipstick.

"You made me late for school," Jasmine growled, sitting as far away from her mother as possible in the backseat of the roomy luxury car she'd never seen before. "I'm never late, ever. Thanks for screwing up my record."

Sofia snapped the compact shut and glared at her daughter. "It'd be wise if you watched your mouth."

Jasmine looked away for a second to see Reno and Rude shaking their heads. The fights between her and her mother were messy and usually ended up in one of the bodyguards in hot water for not siding with the so-called "adult". This time, they tried to make themselves unnoticed and stayed silent as the grave.

"Well, I'd say you really don't care about my education because I'm missing valuable class time for this…" Jasmine whipped her head around and rolled her eyes, "well I don't even know what we're supposed to be doing right now. What's this all about? I happen to have finals soon."

Sofia attempted to calm herself down and wrapped her silk scarf tighter around her neck. "I just came to talk to you, that's all."

"About what? I didn't do anything." Jasmine ignored the vibrating cell phone in her blazer pocket, knowing already that it was probably Roxas calling to see why she wasn't in class.

"Do you think you could speak to me without that hateful tone of yours?"

Jasmine stroked her chin. "It's quite possible."

Sofia wasn't about to allow this to go on any further. "You might want to listen to me Jasmine. My patience is really thin right now and I don't want this to end poorly."

"It can get worse you know. I could start yelling and screaming, and then you'll kick me out of the car and get drunk because," Jasmine faked desperation, "you just can't handle your daughter and can't take the stress."

Sofia dug her nails into her skin and tried to compose herself. 'I'll need a drink after dealing with you…' After a deep breath, she announced, "You father will be having dinner with you on Friday."

Jasmine's jaw dropped. 'THIS Friday? That's the night of the winter formal!' But as alarmed as she was, she kept her cool. "What is that supposed to mean to me? Is he actually going to show up this time? Or will he leave me by myself like last time?"

"Your father loves you," Sofia sighed. "That's why we both came into town. We wanted to spend time with you this winter considering you left home."

"Oh gee," Jasmine tilted her head back, letting the sarcasm roll off her tongue without hesitation, "that's _so _wonderful. You couldn't spend time with me when I lived with you two and now that I'm away you want to make an honest effort. Don't you think it would've been more convenient to do that when I was in your house? At least you would have saved money."

Sofia looked out the window. They were approaching the school and she only had a couple of minutes to get her point across. "Bottom line, you'll be picked up on Friday with an escort and brought to the restaurant. This is not up for discussion."

"And what if I refuse?" she asked coolly. "I have a life. Why should I waste my time?"

And there it was, Sofia knew she had Jasmine. She liked it when she got her way. "Because if you don't, your father said he'd take you out of that school by force and you'll be checked into a boarding school come the end of winter break."

Reno cringed in the front seat. He knew Sofia wasn't bluffing and felt bad for his young charge. Ever since Jasmine was in school, he and Rude had been around to witness their family drama. Over the years it had only escalated and gotten worse. The truth was, he and Rude felt sorry for Jasmine. As she said, they'd actually been her only company at times when her father was unable to meet up for dinner. It was no way for a child to grow up. In fact it was as if she never had a real childhood period.

They pulled up to the front of the school and stopped at the stairs. Reno got out and opened Jasmine's door for her but before she could get out, Sofia said, "It's a promise, Jasmine. I'd mind your father if I were you."

Jasmine snatched her bookbag out of the car and tried to collect herself before she walked up the steps. Before she could do so, Reno grabbed her shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"I'd just go along with it," Rude told her. "Me and Rude will be picking you up. But," he smirked, "when we see you, I wanna see that same kid who pisses me off with the smart mouth, not this girl who looks defeated and junk. Got it?"

Even though nothing had changed, it was nice of Reno to try and cheer her up. In many ways, he looked out for her like an older brother. A strange one, but still a brother-like figure.

"I can't promise you smiles, but I'll figure it out."

"Don't you always?" Reno grinned and ruffled her hair.

"I try. Even if it all goes to pot in the process."

* * *

Roxas spotted Jasmine at her locker during the first break. She slid her books into bookbag before slamming the door shut. She was so in her own world, that when Roxas came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, she almost shrieked in fear.

"Relax, it's only me," he said, laughing slightly amused at catching her off guard. "I'm sorry."

Jasmine shook it off. 'I'm not usually so jumpy. I have to keep it together.' She tried to smile against her frustration from earlier. "You're forgiven."

"But you aren't," Roxas buried his face in her soft black hair.

"What did I do?" Jasmine asked, clearly clueless over what he could be holding against her.

Without saying a word, Roxas dragged Jasmine to an emptier hall. Once he was sure they were alone, he said, "I was worried about you. You didn't answer any of my texts. We all thought you were sick again."

Jasmine swore mentally. 'I didn't check my phone.' "Sorry about that. I had a little run-in this morning."

"Did you handle it?"

'Barely,' Jasmine thought while smiling harder. "I took care of it."

Roxas leaned against the locker and pulled her to his chest. "That's my girl. Now we have something important to talk about..."

'Yes we do,' she thought grimly.

"We have everything ready for the dance. The limo is all set, I have your dress…"

"Uh, Roxas…." Jasmine began.

"You're gonna look amazing in winter white," Roxas brushed her hair out of her face. "Naminé picked out all your accessories and the shoes so don't worry about that. Then after the dance…."

"Roxas," Jasmine said a little more firmly. He wasn't listening.

"There's this spot I want to take you too." Roxas pressed his forehead to hers and their eyes locked. "I know you'll love it." His arms wrapped themselves around her back, holding her in place. "We haven't really had a lot of time to our—"

"I can't go!" She blurted out softly. 'That wasn't so smooth…'

Roxas' grip loosened and his eyes grew big with surprise. "Why? What happened?"

Jasmine stepped back and stared at the floor, fidgeting with the ends of her blue scarf. "My father is coming into town and he's forcing me to go to dinner with him."

"Does he know that it's the winter formal?" Roxas could feel disappointment taking over. He really wanted to go all out for the formal and show Jasmine how much she meant to him.

"My father doesn't care. My mom told me this morning and I got a serious threat if I don't show up," Jasmine told him, anger rising in her chest but holding it in. "I can't get out of this. I'm so sorry Roxas." She stepped away from him and sighed. "I know you wasted a lot of your time and money and I'll pay you back for everything."

Roxas stood silent for the longest moment in Jasmine's life. She could find no trace of anger in his eyes, which was a good thing. He'd probably spent a great deal of money on the evening and she knew he was really looking forward to it. So had she in a way. It was her first dance with a….boyfriend.

"Well, I can't say I'm not disappointed," Roxas said finally.

"I know," Guilt started overpowering her. "It's all my fault."

"Hey, come here," Roxas motioned for Jasmine to come forward and he grabbed her elbows while she rested her fists against his chest, "Jasmine, we have all the time in the world to hang out. Don't sweat it."

Jasmine sighed. It almost seemed as though he'd accept anything without getting angry. "Look Roxas, I gotta be honest."

He felt a lump in his throat. 'This doesn't sound too good.'

"Honestly, I didn't expect to be in any relationship when I got here at this school. It wasn't my plan. But," she shyly took hold of his hands, "I wanna try _this._ Even though in a lot of ways I still see you as a friend, I like you. I promise we'll do something after Friday. Okay?"

The fear had passed and Roxas almost beamed. He heard all he needed to hear. "Thanks for being honest with me." He swallowed his nervousness and cradled her face in his hands, hers never leaving his. "And I'm gonna be honest with you. I've had a crush on you since Homecoming; just didn't know how to approach you. But I think I can make you happy." He brushed a hair out of her face. "I wanna make you happy."

"You're sure you aren't mad about the winter formal?" she asked quietly.

"Don't worry about it. But, you do owe me," Roxas leaned in for a kiss. He loved the warmth that radiated from her body and how her lips seemed to be softer than rose petals. Easily, he could lose all track of time in a moment like this.

For Jasmine, it seemed sweet. Almost too sweet. She found comfort in Roxas but the line between where she drew comfort from, the friend to boyfriend line, was more obscured now than ever. Now, she held his emotions and happiness in the palm of her hands. Roxas professed his feelings to her a second time, but more certainly this time around. Unless her feelings grew, she'd end up hurting him.

"Hm, this is what's gonna happen each time I mess up?" she laughed lightly.

"Don't know, but it's better than fighting, that's for sure."

* * *

"Why are you packing so early? You don't leave for a few days," Sora noted as Riku packed away his heavy winter jackets.

"Because it always takes forever," Riku looked over his shoulder and collapsed on his bed. "You know it takes me weeks to pack."

Sora opened up a bag of potato chips and stuffed several in his mouth. "So are you gonna be home for Christmas or are you staying in Venice the whole time?"

"You know my mom loves it there," Riku explained, fishing out his cell phone. "It's in the air for now. But I could use a vacation; I need to get the heck out of here."

Sora looked puzzled. "Finals? Is that what's tripping you out?" he popped a few more chips into his mouth. "I'm with you on the whole finals stress thing. My teachers are crazy! I have to finish two more novels before tomorrow so I can look at the study guides."

Riku frowned. There were no messages waiting for him on his phone. "First of all, if you would've read the books in the first place, you wouldn't have this problem. Second, it's not my finals. I'm cool with those."

"Then what's got you so wound up?" Sora swallowed. "You don't seem…yourself."

"I'm okay for now, man. I just got a lot of stuff on my mind. Nothing I can't handle," Riku reassured him. "Are you ready for the dance?"

"Uh huh," Sora beamed. "Me and Kairi are all set."

"Ha, you two looked _really _cute together when we were at the amusement park. So are you guys a couple or what?"

Sora blushed. "Not really, I mean- I'm not sure. But we're gonna have a lot of fun this Friday. I want her to have a good time."

"If she's with you, I'm sure you guys will have a good time."

He leaned back in his chair and grinned, imagining the night. "Did you see Roxas and Jasmine today?"

Riku stiffened.

"I'm glad they're together," he continued. "You should've seen them today walking down the halls. He couldn't stop smiling."

"Oh I bet," Riku grumbled.

"Too bad she can't go to the dance though," Sora sighed. "It was gonna be a lot of fun."

Riku blinked. "What did you say?"

"Didn't Roxas tell you?" Sora slumped to the floor and laid flat on his back. "Supposedly she has some family thing that she can't get out of. Something with her father…."

Something clicked in Riku's mind. 'She mentioned her father before. Maybe he came to town.'

"So basically she can't go. I think he's going to go hang out with his cousins instead or something like that."

Riku found it odd that he was smirking at Roxas' predicament. But he didn't think too hard on it. 'Hmm, this sounds like a confrontation. From what I've heard, she and her dad don't get along very well. I'll have to call her later.'

* * *

"You look amazing Miss," a woman with short blond hair dressed in a black suit stood at the door and stared at Jasmine with satisfaction. "I think I did a good job if I say so myself."

Jasmine stared at her reflection, confused and surprised at the same time. It was the night she was to meet up with her father for the first time in months. Usually, he or her mother picked out a conservative outfit for her like a solid colored, knee length dress that covered everything and low heels that tripped her up. Now, she was in a strapless, black fitted cocktail dress with a trench coat and towering high heels she was sure her father wouldn't pick out for her.

"Elena, I don't understand," she ran her hands through her straightened hair before putting in her contact lenses.

The blond looked on in surprise. "What do you mean? You look stunning." She came running over to Jasmine and fished out a compact. "Did I put on too much make up? Did I go too heavy on the eyeliner?"

Before Elena could do anything to Jasmine's face, she held up her arms in defense. "No no, I'm fine. Besides you didn't put on much make up at all and I like my eyeliner. I just don't get _this._" She pointed to her ensemble and sighed. "I know my father didn't pick this out."

Elena motioned for Jasmine to head out and the reluctant high school junior followed. "I did actually!" she proclaimed proudly. "He wanted you to wear something a little more mature." Elena led her out of the house and into the same car Sofia had rode in earlier this week. Reno and Rude stood outside and when they saw Jasmine, they gave each other suspicious looks.

"You sure we aren't taking her to a club or something?" Reno asked Elena.

The blond waved them off. "Just get in the car and drive you two. We don't need to be late alright. Mr. Silva was very specific on the time."

Rude nodded while Reno stuck his tongue out at Elena. "She's so uptight…" he whispered.

When Elena and Jasmine put on their seatbelts the car took off down the street.

"You know I can hear everything you say," Elena snapped at Reno.

"Congratulations," Reno fired back. "I _wanted _you to hear me."

"You'd better watch how you talk to me," she warned.

"You guys," Rude began, shaking his head. His associates were so childish at times. "I'm trying to drive here."

"Well damn I'm quaking in my shoes." Reno and Elena continued on as if Rude hadn't said a word, leaving Jasmine with enough time to think on her own.

'I haven't seen Father in so long,' she leaned her head against the window, feeling a knot form in her throat. 'Not since I moved out.' Then Jasmine recalled the last few years of her life, focusing on her interactions with her dad. Rarely did they see each other, not for months at a time. When they did meet, it was usually at a restaurant of some sorts, he'd always buy her a new outfit and they'd talk about what was going on in their lives. Usually he dominated the conversation with talk about his job and how to maintain the family's good name. But even though they were father and daughter….

"We're here Miss," Elena announced, taking off her seatbelt while Reno and Rude stepped out of the car to open her door.

It was like she was looking at a stranger.

Carefully, Jasmine stepped out of the car and opened up her trench coat. It was the same restaurant she and Sofia had met at. 'I wonder if Mom is coming too.'

The restaurant hadn't changed much since the last time Jasmine visited it. The only thing different was that there was more people and livelier. Jasmine looked around for her father but there was no sign of him anywhere.

Elena tapped Jasmine's shoulder. "This way, Miss Silva."

Jasmine, followed by Rude and Reno, walked down a path towards the back of the restaurant, totally secluded from the main activity. She entered a room, dimly lit by a chandelier up above and saw a table with four to five men all clad in black, gray and blue suits.

The man at the head of the table was considerably tall, had a lighter skin tone than Jasmine, short black hair with glasses covering his hazel eyes. He looked to the doorway and rose from his seat. "There she is. Right on time. Welcome, Faye."

The lump in her throat from earlier passed just in time.

"Hello, Father."

Mr. Silva thanked his guards for escorting Jasmine this far and offered them seats at the end of the table. He then escorted her to a place right beside him at the table before taking his seat. "It's been so long."

"I know," she replied softly, shrugging out of her jacket.

Mr. Silva took a sip of something from the glass placed in front of him before clearing his throat. "You remember everyone from my office, don't you?"

"Of course," Jasmine looked across the table. All these men were familiar to her. Whenever she was at dinner with her father, at least one of these men would show up. But the man at her side was a new face.

"Where are my manners," Mr. Silva gestured towards the gentleman at Jasmine's side. "You two haven't met before."

The one at Jasmine's right was perhaps in his late teens or early twenties. Shockingly, he looked a lot like Sora except for a few major differences. This man had paler skin than Sora, midnight black spiky hair and fierce amber eyes. When he held out his hand for Jasmine, she could swear she felt chills travel from his hand to hers.

"Hello Miss Faye," he said with a polite smile, "my name is Vanitas. I've heard so much about you."

Jasmine held onto Vanitas' hand and looked to her father. "You're a bit young to be in politics," she noted, analyzing him with her eyes.

"Vanitas is a law student. I've taken him under my wing," Mr. Silva told Jasmine.

As usual, Jasmine faked interest and sank into the background, watching the men talk about current events, politics and occasionally the families they had waiting for them back home. 'What I'd give to be at the dance right now,' she thought sadly. 'Ha, what I'd give to be at home with Tifa studying for my exams or something like that.'

Dinner progressed and like the woman her mother trained her to be, Jasmine stayed silent for the meal. This was how it always was. She, her father and his associates would have dinner, she'd sit back and observe, and that was it. Most of the time Jasmine and her father didn't speak to each other and when they did, it was more like a business meeting than a father-daughter dinner.

Jasmine reached for her glass of water when her father called out her name.

"So how is it going in school, Faye? I expect you're keeping up with your grades," Mr. Silva said as he pocketed his cell phone.

"Fine," Jasmine often wondered if she could ever get into acting. The way her father and his co-workers bought her obedient/cheery act, it was as if they couldn't detect anything. "I have finals coming up and then I go on winter break."

Mr. Silva smiled, a hidden glare in his eyes. "I expect you to rank high in your class. Wouldn't want you to fall behind now would we?"

"Of course not, Father," she replied, shooting daggers through her eyes but showing no signs of hostility. "I'll take care of it."

"Well Mr. Silva," a man with long blond hair and harsh green eyes set down his glass, "I'm quite impressed with your daughter."

Mr. Silva looked up. "How so Vexen?"

"Don't act like you don't boast about your daughter," he continued. "I happen to have some associates who work at the school. They talk about the genius girl who earned a full-ride to one of the island's most prestigious schools. And now, seeing her in person, I can see why. She's practically the spitting image of you."

Jasmine fought the urge to scream. Instead, she stared at Vexen. "Why thank you. I didn't know you had connections. I take my academics seriously so that way," and she aimed this at her father, "I can take care of myself and whatever family I should have in the far-off future. I'm not that smart, but I do know how to work hard to put myself in a better position. After that, I'll never have to worry about depending on anyone."

'I hope you heard me Father.'

"Now that's admirable," Vanitas began, eyeing Jasmine as if he were trying to crack a lock. "I must agree with you. Depending on others won't get you anywhere."

Jasmine shrugged a shoulder. "I agree to a certain extent. If you can't survive on your own, then you're not much good to anyone else."

"Is that why you push so hard?" Vanitas chuckled, startling Jasmine with how cold it sounded. "I mean, Faye is it?"

She cringed. "My friends typically use my middle name. Call me Jasmine."

Vanitas lowered his voice while the other men chatted. "Alright, _Jasmine_. What I'm asking, is the reason you push so hard because you want to stand on your own two feet and hold some sort of power in this world?"

Jasmine already didn't like him. Sure he seemed friendly enough for now, but there was a certain edge, coldness and aura around Vanitas that wasn't comforting at all. She wasn't about to let him know how much he was bothering her though. "Power? Not exactly but I see where you can get that from."

"Then what is it?"

"Ask me that in five years and maybe I'll have an answer that satisfies us both, alright?" Jasmine replied with a sly smile that masked her irritation.

"Faye," Mr. Silva called. "Did you enjoy your dinner?"

"It was good," she replied dryly. 'And to think I missed the dance because of all this. Time to go.' And then she sighed, "I'm not feeling so well. May I excuse myself?"

Her father didn't seem too interested in her health. "That's fine. I need you rested so that way you can pass your finals with flying colors."

Jasmine's heart sank. 'He didn't even ask what was wrong.' She pushed her chair back and rose to her feet. "Thank you, Father. I'll talk to you soon."

Vanitas stood up as well, holding her coat out for her to slip her arms into it. "I'll escort you out." He bowed his head to Mr. Silva who nodded in understanding and went right back to his conversation. The guards followed behind the two, giving them plenty of space.

"You didn't have to do this," Jasmine told Vanitas, adjusting the strap of her coat and tying it tightly.

"I know," Vanitas put a hand on her back as if to steady her. "Wouldn't want you falling out in the street…"

Jasmine shut her eyes to keep from rolling them. "I can walk without embarrassing myself, Sir."

Vanitas and Jasmine stepped out into the cool air while her guards went to the valet to pick up the car. She hugged herself in her coat and put some distance between herself and Vanitas. 'This was such a weird night.'

"Please," Vanitas now stood directly behind Jasmine, "it's Vanitas. I'm not your father. I don't want to hear 'mister' or 'sir' again."

She found the chills by looking over her shoulder. "Fine Vanitas. I can take it from here, thank you very much. I wouldn't want to keep you from my father."

The dark-haired, amber-eyed man smirked. "I have all the free time in the world."

Jasmine tapped her foot impatiently against the concrete. 'Where is the friggin' car?'

"Besides, you're quite an interesting character _Jasmine_," Vanitas continued. "You're definitely different from the other women I see with your background."

"That's because I'm _not _the other girls you see," she replied with a cool edge. "That's kind of silly to say, don't you think?"

Vanitas chuckled, dark and mischievously. "That's what I mean. You actually have some bite to your bark. The women around here are trophies for their men to show off. No personality, no brain, nothing. It's no fun at all."

Jasmine felt relief when the car pulled up. "What a shame. Well I guess you've finally found that one girl who doesn't sit and let things simply _be._"

"Well then," Vanitas gave Jasmine a quick once over from head to toe, "I'll be excited to see how much bark and bite you have."

Reno held open the door for Jasmine but before she slid in, she warned him, "just don't end up on the receiving end. I don't care who you are, I won't hold back."

Vanitas slid his hands into his pants pockets, giving her another dangerous look. "I wouldn't expect anything less."


	23. Chapter 23: Friends and Others

**Author's Note: **Okay, it's been a long time since I updated but I have a really good excuse: I started college and trust me, it's hectic. But I was able to come up with a few chapters so...yeah! I'll update this story and put out two chapters tonight! I wanna thank my reviewers **animechick247, Kanika Meskhenet, Queen Micky, Frooky90, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, **and **Khaotic Kal**.

Haha I like the response I got when I added Vanitas into the story. He's one of my fave villians ever! And yes, Jasmine's dad sucks :/ but it's all for the good of the story! I think that in maybe four chapters, the second half of the story will begin. I don't know whether to keep it all under _Heartbreakers_ or put it under a new story altogether because of some of the plot shifts and all that good stuff. But if it should end up in as another story I'll definitely let you guys know well in advanced!

Also, I actually got a good deal of emails in regards to _Crimson Hands of Time. _Unfortunately, no one figured out what the creatures are but I still wanna see how long it goes before I announce what my "monsters" actually are. There are hints throughout several chapters in this story :)

P.S. (and I swear I'm done) please leave a review on the chapters I put up today because I really do enjoy reading what you guys think. Plus with the way things are going, I wanna know how everyone feels about the story. Haha and I saw that I have people going "Team Riku". I don't know why but that made me smile and laugh. Take care!

-Skye

* * *

"You should be glad Tifa is lenient about me having guests over when she isn't home," Jasmine told Roxas who was lying on the couch watching TV. She brushed her hair out of her face and sighed. 'I didn't think he'd be over this soon. It's only Sunday.'

Roxas poke his head over the couch and grinned at her. "Well you promised a whole day to me and you let me pick, so I picked today."

Jasmine looked at the stack of books on the table. 'I should think more carefully next time I offer myself up for a whole day…' She threw on a hoodie over her tank top and sat on the end of the sofa, sitting on her legs while flipping through the channels. "You're right. It's your day. We can do what you want."

Roxas pulled her close and Jasmine rested her head on his shoulder. "Don't you want to go outside for the day?" she asked setting the remote in her lap.

"And do what?" He stroked her hair over her ear. "It's cold outside."

"No it isn't," Jasmine argued. "You rich island kids just haven't been in the cool weather long enough. And you snowboard for heaven's sake!"

The blond frowned. "I can survive in the cold."

Jasmine patted his leg in an attempt to comfort in. "A lot of boys pull the same stunt. They always say 'oh its fine' or 'what are you talking about? I'm okay' or my favorite, 'no you're cold shut up'. Ha it's actually kind of cute."

"What's cute?"

"When guys put up a front to keep up their cool, confident appearance," Jasmine replied, poking him in the stomach. "You guys are softies under it all."

"And that's attractive for you?"

Jasmine nodded her head and Roxas started shivering by force. "I'm freezing over here, Jasmine. Wanna help me out?"

She burst into melodic laughter and cradled him in her arms. "Is this better for you? Are you warming up now?"

The heat from her touch sent Roxas' body temperature sky rocketing. No one had ever affected him so much in this way. It was like Jasmine could easily control him if she wanted to and as bad as it sounded, he really couldn't care less. "Yeah, I'm getting better."

"So how did Naminé enjoy her time at the dance? I saw pictures and she looked amazing."

Roxas blew out a breath of exasperation. "She said she had a lot of fun and that Shuyin wants to take her out again."

"Ha, brother doesn't sound too pleased with this," Jasmine narrowed her eyes, "do you have something against Shuyin?"

"I just never saw her with one of those athletes. That's all."

"Don't tell me, the blitzball players have nasty reps like those football stars, right?"

Roxas linked his fingers with Jasmine's staring off into the television screen. "Yeah but I think it's a lot worse because they're rich too. Except for Sora and Tidus, a lot of the guys take advantage of those girls. They ask them out, sleep with the girl, dump them and move onto the next because they know they can get away with it."

"Roxas, I've had a chance to watch Shuyin. He's a pretty chill guy. Does he know he's hot? Most definitely. But I don't think he'd try that with Naminé because he knows that she's got so many people behind her that would literally light him on fire if he did anything," Jasmine told him, squeezing his hand.

"Maybe you're right," Roxas sighed in defeat. "That's my sister you know? I won't let anything happen to her."

Jasmine brought his hand to her lips, kissing it softly. "Of course. You do an amazing job protecting her. Besides, Naminé is a sharp girl. She could handle some athlete."

It was then that Jasmine noticed that early on in his explanation, Roxas had left out Riku's name in the mix of the "good" blitzball players. She knew that he was a bit of a player. Girls flocked to him and he just went with it most of the time. After he and Alex broke it off, she'd seen him with numerous girls. She started to wonder if he was like the rest: the ones who used a girl for sex and enjoyment.

"Is Riku like that?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Riku?" Roxas blinked. "Why do you care about him?"

"You didn't loop him in with Sora and Tidus. I know he's cocky and everything but he's not that bad, right?"

"What I do know, is that he dates a lot. Whether he's slept with those girls or not, I'm not sure. Lately he hasn't so," he gave his shoulders a shrug, "I can't tell you anything about that."

Jasmine could tell that Roxas wasn't too happy about her mentioning Riku. Why? She couldn't figure it out. But she decided to let the matter drop. "I don't see how guys can just creep around with a lot of girls and find it okay. And not just athletes do it. Ienzo has the worst rep ever." She then looked into the ceiling. "I haven't seen him around for a long time though. But he and his girlfriends are better off out of the picture."

"Seriously," Roxas agreed.

"But like I was saying, I hate it when I see these guys go around with these girls. It's the girl's fault too for just laying on their back but the guys don't see how it makes them look to a lot of other girls. Especially when we're so young," Jasmine finished.

"So you're saying that a guy at our age can't have sex?" Roxas released his grip on her hand and let it fall to his chest with a _plop_.

Jasmine seemed a bit taken back by his question. "Can and will are totally different. We all_ can_ but whether we _will_ is up to us. I say, if you feel it's the right time, I say," she threw her arms up in the air, "sure as long as your partner is okay with it."

Roxas stayed silent and continued to watch TV while Jasmine sat there, feeling tension in the room. They'd never had a talk about intimacy before. True they'd only started dating but still it was an important issue. Something clicked in Jasmine's head and she'd come to a realization.

She hovered over Roxas and her eyes burned into his, commanding him to look up as she spoke. Gently but surely she said, "You've done it before."

Instantly Roxas' face paled. 'How in the world can she figure out something like that by just looking at me? There's no hiding from this girl.' He squirmed a bit in her lap. "Caught me red-handed."

"Roxas," Jasmine placed a hand over his chest, "I really don't care. It's just an honest question. I mean, it's not like you're some obsessed-fiend or something."

The truth was it wasn't always on his mind but being with Jasmine made it pop into his head a lot more. She really didn't understand how attractive she was. She was still fairly tall, almost as tall as he was, lean but she still had curves hidden under that school uniform. With long black hair, a nice smile and fiery hazel eyes plus add on the intelligence, she was definitely a bit sensual without being aware of it or by even trying. He shamelessly admitted to Axel once or twice that he'd thought about Jasmine in that sense, but never acted on his impulses for fear of driving her away.

"I'm a guy so I think about it but I'm not horrible."

Jasmine smiled. "I didn't think so. You're a good guy."

Roxas sat up and stared at Jasmine. She was so easy to talk to and he hoped that with spending the whole day together like this, they could become closer. The threat of her leaving for only having a friend connection was still ever present and he knew that any moment that their relationship could be o

"Even so," she added with a furtive smile, "good guys tend to slip up."

"Doesn't everyone?"

Jasmine scoffed, "isn't that the truth?"

* * *

"This weather sucks!" cried a young woman with short black hair and dark brown eyes said as she pushed back her soda. "I came to this island for the sun." She laid her chin down on the bar. "Not the rain."

Tifa walked by, chuckling. "Yuffie, it's the winter time." She took her friend's near-empty glass and refilled it for her. "Did you expect it to be 80 degrees?"

Yuffie frowned. "It was two years ago," she whined. She glanced around the nearly-empty Seventh Heaven. "Aerith, you remember it don't ya?"

Aerith was the fair-skinned, brown-haired, green-eyed mediator stood up and helped wipe off the bar. "I was there, but Tifa has a point. Winter is for the cold weather."

Outnumbered, Yuffie groaned in defeat. "Why do you guys always gang up on me?"

"We're not ganging up on you," Tifa said, winking at Aerith. "Our opinions are just the same and there are two of us. Sorry."

"You guys are meanies, end of story." Yuffie turned to Aerith, smile ever present. "So how's it going with Zack? Am I going to be getting a wedding invitation any time soon?"

Aerith blushed lightly. "Calm down, Yuffie. We've only been dating a couple of months."

Tifa stopped and placed a hand on her hip. "You've been dating for 7," she corrected.

"Has it been that long?" Aerith stared off into space.

"Yes it's been _that long_," Yuffie shook her lightly by her shoulders. "Keep up with the times woman! It's the man who's supposed to forget how long you've been together."

Aerith pried Yuffie's hands off her gently. "Sorry, the time just moves so fast nowadays that I find it hard to keep up with everything, you know? As we age, it's like time speeds up."

Tifa set down her rag and sighed. "That's true. I mean, I could swear that it was only yesterday that I was working for SOLDIER as a tour guide."

"Ah," Yuffie placed her hands behind her head, "those were the good days. Now we're all stuck behind desks."

"That's not true," Aerith argued. "You're head of the police on the island and half the time I call, you're out in the field. That's not boring."

"But the paperwork is! Ugh! Someone like me should be banned from paperwork in general."

Aerith and Tifa shared an all-knowing smile. "You probably should," the agreed unanimously.

"Jerks," Yuffie grabbed Tifa's arm as the latter walked by, "so how's it going with Cloud? I heard from Vincent he moved back into town. Have you two had a chance to talk yet?"

With a casual shrug, Tifa replied, "Yeah. He came over and visited a couple of times."

"And…?" Yuffie drawled out, expecting more details than what her friend was giving her.

"And that's it," Tifa made her way into the kitchen before asking if either of her friends wanted a drink. When they opted against, she disappeared into the back.

Yuffie huffed, "I guess things haven't really changed at all between those two."

* * *

"Have you studied for your finals, Roxas?" Jasmine asked as she cleared off the table and set a bowl of popcorn down in front of them.

"Yeah, pretty much," he yawned, "I think I'll be okay."

"I don't want you scoring poorly," Jasmine said, throwing on her glasses. "You don't need to get in trouble."

Roxas pulled her down beside him by her hoodie. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. And you shouldn't worry either. You're in the top of our class. You don't need to study."

"Of course I do!" Jasmine reached up and put the bowl in her lap. "I need to keep my grades up so that way I can stay at this school. It's part of the deal for my scholarship, Roxas."

"I don't see why you just can't have your parents help you out," Roxas said sourly. "That way you wouldn't have to work so hard."

Jasmine took hold of the remote and turned up the volume. "I'm not asking them for help," she replied blandly.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to." Jasmine hoped that Roxas would let the matter drop. She wasn't in the mood for trying to explain the whole situation of her family life to him.

"Okay, if you don't want to say anything that's fine with me." He then added, "Riku is lucky. He got to take his finals early so he could go on vacation with his parents. I don't know how he can get away with stuff like this all for winter break."

Jasmine tapped her finger against the bowl. He never told her he was leaving a week early. With their newfound, slightly secretive friendship, they told each other pretty much everything. Why would he not tell her he was leaving?

But there was something else. She remembered that he still had something of hers. 'Has to do with winter…hmm wintertime….something you have?...something you wear?...something to wear….'

Her head shot up and she half-shouted, "That jerk still hasn't given me back my scarf! The nerve of him to leave without giving it back!"

"Whoa, calm down, Jasmine," Roxas took the popcorn bowl from her before it ended up overturned on the floor. "He has what now?"

"My scarf!" When she met his gaze her hair whipped over her shoulder. "He has it and he never gave it back! I mean," Jasmine pushed up her sleeves, "it's just a scarf but he could've at least said something."

Roxas' eyes hardened slightly. "Why would he have your scarf in the first place?"

"Because he was cold and I gave it to him. What's the big deal?"

He straightened up, feeling a trifle bit confused. He knew they'd helped out Kairi and Sora and for the most part it was like they hated each other. "Just wondering."

"He took me home one day and I guess he just forgot to give it to me."

Gruffly, Roxas said, "Well that was nice of him."

His tone told him off. Roxas wasn't happy with Jasmine and Riku getting close or having a relationship. It was almost the same reaction when she talked about Cloud that day.

"Roxas," Jasmine began tiredly, "don't you dare start. He just offered me a ride home. Nothing happened. We don't get along well enough for your mind to start entertaining those thoughts so just stop right now."

"Okay okay," he held out his arms defensively, "I just asked why he had your scarf."

"I explained it just fine, but why does it matter? He had it. So friggin' what? If I wanna give someone something to keep them from freezing to death, then I'm gonna do it. You're only freaking out because it's a guy."

"Jasmine," Roxas stood up, eyes blaring down on her, "think about it from my point of view. How would you feel if your boyfriend was out with girls, and he didn't want to tell you what happened?"

The idea of him talking down on her infuriated Jasmine. "I told you what happened," she replied calmly. "Besides, when it happened, we were NOT together. You didn't have any jurisdiction or any right to try and dissect that. I can understand it now since technically you are my boyfriend but that happened a while ago." She turned away and huffed, "what's the friggin' deal?"

"Okay," Roxas relaxed himself but was still on edge, "I get it. It was a while back."

"Exactly. You don't have to worry about me and any guy right now, if I'm with you then it's by my choice. That means I'm not looking at any other guys. Stop being so paranoid every time I interact with one."

"Look Jasmine I'm sorry okay," Roxas nearly shouted, startling Jasmine slightly. "If you want me to be honest, here it is: I'm bad at relationships. The fact that you're still here with me is a little unbelievable."

'Well technically, we're in _my _house but I'll leave it alone.' Jasmine was still new to relationships. This whole thing of being a girlfriend and having a boyfriend was hard. She believed earlier that she wouldn't even be in one. But she wanted to try. And Roxas seemed to want to make it work. Having someone of the opposite sex care for her was strange. Even though she was still partially against this, Jasmine was going to do her best.

Jasmine sneaked behind Roxas and latched her hands around his waist. He initially stiffened at her touch but when she buried her face into his neck, he relaxed a bit. "First off, don't talk like that. It sounds like you're insecure and you should know how many guys would kill to be you. It's really not attractive. Secondly," she slipped her hands under his shirt and tickled Roxas while locking him into place, "I'm pretty much an independent girl, who will have friends who are boys. Even Riku is a person I work with from time to time but you're not in any danger there."

"Jasmine," he said through his laughter, hoping it would mask how crazy she was making him on the inside. "Cut it out."

"I'm not done so listen," his feet gave way and Roxas fell on his back with Jasmine sitting on his knees while continuing to torture him. "So either you relax a little bit and let me stay as I am, or else. You can look at girls and hang out and even though it'll tick me off, you can join in looking at girls in movies and music videos because I know you won't lay a finger on them. Got it?"

Roxas covered his eyes to keep the tears from rolling off his face. It was a bit embarrassing that Jasmine was able to reduce him to pretty much nothing whenever she touched him. Plus she'd found one of his weak points so she was in control at the moment.

"You're not agreeing with me," she sing-songed into his ear while continuing to tickle him.

"That's because you're driving me nuts!" he choked out.

"Wow Roxas," she snickered, "it's like I'm the boyfriend here. Just say "Yes, Jasmine I'll stop acting like this" and I'll stop."

He collected himself in the time when she was laughing and shocked Jasmine by flipping on her back, making her gasp in surprise at how quickly things changed. Roxas pinned her to the ground and held her hands above her head, finding humor in the reversal. "Yes, Jasmine," he said softly, "I'll stop acting like that."

"Thank you," she breathed. "Now," Jasmine tried to sit up but Roxas held her down, "are you gonna let me go?"

Roxas stole countless kisses from Jasmine until she was nearly out of breath. "You got me, so now I'm paying you back."


	24. Chapter 24: Irritation

**Author's Note: **Chapter 24 is up! Yay!

* * *

Final exams for the semester should have been treated like college entrance exams. As Jasmine filled in her final answers on the math portion, she recalled how she'd seen a lot of things this past week. Children's faces turning red from frustration, tears from girls who hadn't studied and knew that their credit cards were about to be shredded, boys threatening to snap their pencils because they understood that without a passing grade, sports would be torn away from them.

Heck, one student actually threw up on his way to the testing room.

'There,' Jasmine filled in the last bubble, closed her packet, walked down the aisle and handed her test proctor the test. He dismissed the junior and she ran out of the testing room, exhaling once she was at her locker. 'Finally it's done. Studying really paid off.'

She tore open her locker and fished out her cell phone. The devices weren't even allowed in the testing rooms and any student caught with one automatically failed that final, had the phone confiscated and there was a $250 fine to go along with it. Jasmine wasn't in a position to get caught, because she didn't have that kind of cash lying around and losing her scholarship was not worth the risk.

'It looks like everyone is still taking their exams,' Jasmine looked at her cell phone. It was a little bit before noon and in this school, the moment you finished your tests you were done for the day. To celebrate, the group had decided to go out and celebrate by having lunch. Friday, which was tomorrow, the final day before Christmas vacation, the students would turn in their books for the semester and the class rankings would be posted for everyone to see. If you failed, received an incomplete or cheated, it would be no secret.

Jasmine wondered if that was one of the things pushing the students to do well. If so, it worked because a lot of kids were losing their minds over the exams.

"How do I kill time before everyone comes out?" she muttered out loud. "I suppose we could all meet up later." Jasmine recalled everyone's schedules. Sora and Kairi had three more tests. Selphie had two more. Roxas and Naminé had four. Tidus had one but he took way too long.

She sighed and pulled her messenger bag out of her locker. 'Oh well, better see if Tifa needs me. It's always busy around the holiday season.'

* * *

"Jasmine!" Yuffie charged for Jasmine as soon as she stepped into Seventh Heaven, nearly knocking the girl off her feet. "How's my favorite niece doing?"

Jasmine nearly choked to death from Yuffie's grip. Despite Yuffie being almost a head shorter than Jasmine, her strength and speed was quite frightening. "I'm fine, Yuffie." Once she had set herself free, she rubbed her neck, expecting red marks within the next few minutes. "Technically, you aren't my aunt."

Yuffie's mouth gaped open. "I'm hurt Jasmine! You know that I'm like family."

Jasmine smiled ruefully. "Of course you are Yuffie. I'm just a little cranky."

"Well," Yuffie puffed out her chest, "I _guess _I can let it slide just this once." She then pointed to Jasmine. "Why are you wearing a uniform? Are you working here now?"

Jasmine walked to the back near the employee lounge with Yuffie skipping behind her. "No, I just came to help out Tifa." She hung up her tote bag, shortly after finding herself in a headlock.

"Hey, why don't I get a hug?" a tall, pale man with spiky black hair that was longer in the back asked. He tossed Jasmine around a little and poked her sides, making the girl cry out in laughter. "I mean, how often is it that we get to see each other?" His icy metallic blue eyes shined when Jasmine finally pried herself away from the man.

"Zack!" Jasmine straightened her glasses. "A headlock isn't such a good way to say "hello". Especially when a girl finished her finals and her brain is fried."

Zack chuckled good-naturedly and held out his arms, Jasmine flinging herself into them a second later. "You know I only do it to my favorite people."

Jasmine buried her face in his broad chest. "It's so good to see you!"

"Looks like you found Zack," Tifa entered the employee lounge and took a seat on a large, red sofa against the wall.

"Actually," Jasmine let up on her grip. "Zack found _me_."

Aerith walked in behind Tifa and smiled. "Zack, you didn't give her a headlock again, did you?"

Jasmine gasped and ran straight for Aerith's arms. "You're in town too!"

"We're actually living here now," Aerith brushed the hair out of Jasmine's face. "I opened up a flower shop in the heart of the city. I'm always busy planning something."

"Seriously? That's amazing!"

With Tifa being Jasmine's god-mother, she had the fortune of getting to know all of her friends. Although they were all considerably older than Jasmine, it was like they fit into their puzzle and they were some kind of family. It had been years since she had seen most of them, but even with time passing by, her love for these people hadn't changed a bit.

"Yeah, she's never actually home so Zack here," Yuffie slapped his shoulder roughly, causing him to wince, "has to cook and clean all by his lonesome."

"Are you kidding me? I'm a SOLDIER. I can take care of myself," Zack argued.

"Let's face it, you can't cook," she teased.

Aerith laughed and gave Jasmine another tight hug. "He's gotten a lot better," she whispered. "And now he'll be coming to Tifa for food."

"Oh, gotcha," Jasmine winked.

"Look at this kid," Zack said in awe, tearing Jasmine away from his girlfriend. "Last time I saw her, she was Yuffie's height, shorter hair and still childish in the face. She's practically grown. Wouldn't of recognized you if it weren't for the eyes. How old are you? 18?"

Jasmine sighed. "I'm only 16."

"Zack, you're seriously slipping," Yuffie called out.

"Well excuse me," he rolled his eyes. "She looks older. A lot has changed."

"She's even got a boyfriend now," Tifa added, laughing at the mortified looks on Zack and Yuffie's faces.

"WHAT?" They yelled simultaneously.

'Oh hell,' Jasmine could feel Yuffie's eyes on her and she saw Zack's jaw clench.

"You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend," Yuffie shook Jasmine roughly by her shoulders until her the latter looked like a bobble-head doll. "How could you? I thought we were close!"

"It barely happened!"

"So! You should've called me the day "it happened" Jasmine," Yuffie yelled. "I feel so out of the loop."

Zack slinked his way in between Yuffie and Jasmine, giving the girl a hard stare. "You do realize that you aren't allowed to date him any longer until I get to meet him."

Jasmine envisioned the meeting. Roxas would sit on the couch beside her. And Zack would walk in, wearing his SOLDIER uniform while oh-so-innocently cleaning his frighteningly large Buster sword. Roxas' face would pale and he'd probably burst through the door the moment Zack started talking. "Oh, I see that going well."

"Zack," Aerith warned him gently, taking a sip of her hot chocolate, "be nice to the boy. You too, Yuffie. You don't want to scare him off."

The Mako-eyed man snorted. "If he can't deal with me then he doesn't have any business being with my Cat."

"You still call me that after all these year?" Jasmine asked.

"You still have those cat-like eyes, so the name sticks. But, that's not getting you out of this," Zack wrapped an arm around Jasmine's shoulders. "But like I said, if he's a real man, he could handle me."

"I doubt most men could handle you. You'll probably scare off every guy who comes near her," Tifa said.

"Got that right." Zack flashed a grin and looked around the lounge. "Hey, where's Cloud?"

Tifa shrugged her shoulders. "He said he'd stop by later. As for you," she walked over to Jasmine and placed a red Santa hat on the girl's head, "I could actually use some help out there. Two of my waitresses called in sick. There's some cold or flu bug going around. All I need is for you to help out for three hours. Then we're gonna set up for karaoke tonight."

"It's funny how so many drunks think they're the next big superstar," Zack teased. "Isn't that right, Yuffie?"

Yuffie turned a harsh shade of pink. "That was _one _time!" she cried out indignantly. "You just can't let it go can you?"

"Nope," Zack agreed, "that was the funniest thing I'd seen in years."

The room roared in laughter and Yuffie stormed out. "What's up with all you guys being jerk-wads today? Sheesh!"

"Thank you guys so much," Jasmine said cheerfully as she handed her customers the check. "Please come back soon."

One of the women said, "Do you work here often? You're so cheerful."

"No," Jasmine smiled ruefully. "I'm just filling in for someone."

"Well," the other fished out thirty dollars and offered it to Jasmine, "I do hope to see you here again. You're such a sweetheart."

"Oh no," Jasmine politely refused the gracious tip. "I can't take it."

"Of course you can," she insisted, tucking it away in Jasmine's apron. "Keep up the good work and the money will keep on coming."

"Wow," Jasmine said under her breath, watching the women disappear. "Take care and happy holidays!" She ducked back into the lounge where Zack and Aerith sat, watching television and fished out her tips. 'I've made a hundred dollars in an hour. This is amazing. I probably should start working here for real.'

"How's it coming, Jasmine?" Tifa peeked behind the door. "I heard you're killing it with the tips today."

"Quite well actually," Jasmine beamed. "I might have to start working here."

Tifa looked at her in disbelief. "With all that schoolwork and studying you do? I'm sorry but I don't think I want you to wind up beat down before you're twenty."

"Okay I get it."

"By the way, weren't you supposed to be meeting up with your friends? It's almost three in the afternoon," Tifa asked.

"Yeah, but I told them I'd catch up later. Besides, we all made plans to hang out tomorrow. They won't miss me; they already left anyway."

Tifa huffed. "Jasmine, you should be with them. It's the holiday season."

"Nah, it's not a big deal. I can visit them any time I want when our schedules allow."

Tifa stared at her in awe and disappointment. She'd heard Jasmine say that before and Tifa was well aware that Jasmine was an independent girl who'd had problems with people and connections before in the past. By now though, she thought that she'd have broken out of it at little bit more.

"I won't let you work anymore during the holidays after today unless you promise to spend more time with your friends," Tifa said firmly. "Understand that?"

"You don't wanna waste away back here," Zack called over his shoulder. "Have fun cause when you get older, you won't have as much free time as you do now."

Jasmine smiled. "It's fine; I know what I'm doing." With that she sped off back into the restaurant.

"Is she always like that?" Zack asked, turning away from the TV.

Tifa nodded. "I don't understand. She's a great girl. Why she spends so much time alone, I'll never understand."

Without breaking away from the television, Aerith added, "She's just like him, you know?"

"Jasmine's more social than Cloud though," Zack argued. "But still it's kind of scary sometimes."

"I don't want Jasmine to end up alone," Tifa said, closing her eyes. "It's bad enough she didn't have a childhood. I don't want her to jump straight into adulthood without making a few strong bonds and connections."

"For a kid who practically raised herself, she's turned out pretty good. So what if she's independent? She doesn't need to become reliant on other people, especially a man." Zack beamed with pride. "That's our girl."

"You make it sound like she's your daughter." Aerith turned away from the TV and smiled.

Zack tapped her nose affectionately. "That's cause I care about her a lot; Almost as much as I care about you."

Yuffie groaned out loud. "You're so cheesy, Zack!"

* * *

Jasmine sighed. Pretty soon her shift would be over and she'd be free to do whatever she wanted. Only one more table to go…

"Hey, it's that Jasmine?" a familiar person sneered.

"I knew she was broke," this voice was all too familiar and Jasmine's eye twitched.

She headed over to the table she was supposed to wait on next and hid her discomfort when she greeted Larxene, Alex and Ienzo. 'I thought I left them behind like, forever ago.'

"Hey," she greeted casually. "What would you guys like?"

Ienzo, who had his arm around Larxene smiled. "Well I think we can agree that you're the cutest waitress here."

Jasmine hid her discomfort and took out a pen and notepad. "Thanks, but you're seriously overlooking a lot of people here."

"Yeah," Larxene chimed in, eyeing Jasmine dangerously, "I think he is." She turned to Alex, "so this is what the poor and unfortunate do: minimum wage jobs, waiting on people like us."

"It's sad. Welfare must be a savior, huh?" Alex snickered.

It wasn't like Jasmine hadn't heard this before. Even though they kept it to themselves, word of Jasmine's background got around quickly and occasionally she'd be made fun of for her social standing, despite the fact that she was one of the school's top students. As a matter of fact, being with Roxas made it that much more difficult for her to go throughout the day. Jasmine tried to brush it off, but it was still hard to ignore.

"You know," Jasmine said lightly, "I wouldn't know considering I'm not on welfare and that this job doesn't pay minimum wage."

"Whatever happened to "the customer is always right"?" Larxene tapped Ienzo's shoulder. "I don't think she's a very good waitress."

"I think she's doing just fine," Ienzo countered. "We'll all have a round of hot chocolate."

Thankful for Ienzo's save, Jasmine hurried off and put in the drink order. 'Don't they all belong on a street corner?' Jasmine thought darkly, taking a look at the inappropriately dressed school girls. She doubted that they'd even shown up for the finals given the fact that during the times when Larxene and Alex should have been in class, Jasmine spotted them walking to their cars from the window.

Once Jasmine returned five minutes later with their beverages, she took out a notepad. "What can I get you all?"

"You know what a lot of people are saying?" Larxene cooed.

"I'm pretty sure I've heard it, but do share," Jasmine's eyes narrowed, "I'm always in the mood for a story."

"Well if you didn't know, everyone has figured out your relationship with Roxas," Alex began.

"The word around school is that you're sleeping with him to get the money he and his family makes with their law firm. He pays you pretty well I'm guessing," Larxene finished. She then added, "What is it? A thousand a lay?"

"Don't forget," Alex chimed in, slowly sipping her hot chocolate, "it's five hundred when she's on her knees."

Larxene flipped her antennae-like bangs out of her eyes. "Oh silly me, how could I? Thanks Alex."

Jasmine nearly snapped the pen in half. She could deal with a lot of things, but to call her a whore was definitely pushing it. True, she'd heard whispers and questions in the past of how she managed to fit in with her friends, but now that it was being put in her face by her most disliked people, Jasmine didn't know how long it would be before she lost it.

"What would you like?"

"That's the only way Roxas would keep her around," Larxene totally ignored Jasmine. "I mean, she isn't pretty, she has no real spark, she coops herself up in those books and rarely says a word. It's so strange! She must be pretty good for him to keep her this long." The blond then said, "I know a couple of guys on the blitzball team who would be interested if Roxas is boring you. Plus I hear they'll pay more."

Jasmine grabbed the nearest waitress by the shoulder and asked if she could take care of the table she was at. "I don't feel so well, tell Tifa I'm leaving if I don't pass by."

She couldn't take it anymore. Before she said something terrible to Larxene's group and risked hurting Tifa's business, she dashed through the back room and scrambled for her bookbag. Zack, Aerith and Yuffie caught wind of this and looked up.

"What's wrong?" Aerith asked kindly, watching Jasmine search frantically for her jacket.

Jasmine threw on her jacket and tossed her bag over her shoulder. "I really just need to go home."

Zack attempted to corner the girl. "What happened out there? Tell me."

"This isn't anything you can fix," Jasmine replied hastily. "I'll figure it out on my own." She brushed past him and headed for the back door. "Bye."

Yuffie cried out, "Jasmine wait!" before being cut off by the violent slam of the door.

With bewildered looks on their faces, they looked to each other for answers, only to come up with nothing.

"That's just like Cloud too," Aerith said sadly.

* * *

Jasmine wandered around for about two hours and it was already dark outside. Not to mention that there was a light rain outside that threatened to turn rough in a matter of minutes. She took shelter in a coffee house that was nearly deserted save for one person who sat at a laptop.

The soft pop music blaring through the speakers calmed Jasmine immensely and she ordered herself vanilla latte. 'I don't want to go home yet,' she thought while watching her cell phone clock. She took her drink, paid for it, and took a seat by the window.

"I can't believe I ran out like that. Now they're gonna have something on me," she whispered before steadily drinking her coffee. 'I've got to be careful about how I deal with Larxene from now on; especially with that rumor.'

Her phone was vibrating and Jasmine guessed that it was Tifa. 'She must be wondering what the heck happened back there.'

When Jasmine realized what was going on, she saw the only other person in the café staring intently at her. Jasmine had to admit that the woman was so beautiful. Her skin was milky and pale, and her thick, curly dirty blond hair reached her elbows. But her eyes, the most powerful feature, were a startling pale green. Jasmine tried to guess the woman's age but she failed miserably. 'She can't be older than twenty two.'

After an awkward pause, Jasmine asked politely, "Can I help you with something?"

"Actually," the woman shut her laptop and waved a pair of perfectly crafted manicured nails in front of her, "I believe you can."

She took it upon herself to take a seat in front of Jasmine.

'She looks so familiar,' Jasmine tried to figure out where she had seen this woman but was unable to figure it out.

"My name is Angela," she greeted, holding out her hand for Jasmine to take. "It's nice to meet you."

"Mine is Jasmine, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Angela continued to analyze every inch of Jasmine's face. "You're a high school student, aren't you?"

"Yes." Jasmine was cautious. If there was one thing that she ever took from her mother, it was that strangers were something to watch out for.

"I can tell, you look so young," the woman brushed off her fire engine red pea coat. "Would you mind standing for me? I'm not trying to creep you out, I promise."

Reluctantly, Jasmine rose to her feet and Angela stood up, towering high heels clacking against the tile floor, spinning Jasmine once around in a circle. "You've got a great build. Do you work out a lot?"

When Jasmine finished twirling, she was dizzy. "Actually no, I don't have the time. Why?"

Angela laughed and upon hearing her melodious voice, did Jasmine start to recognize something. "I promise I'm not some weirdo trying to pick you up for some crazy, raunchy photo shoot."

"If you don't mind me asking, what is this about?"

"I couldn't help overhear you," Angela began. "You have a lovely speaking voice. Do you sing or dance?"

Jasmine blushed fiercely. "I don't think singing in the shower counts."

"But can you do a bit of both?"

"I can," Jasmine said bashfully. Before she knew it, Angela held out a card to her.

"There's something I like about you." She pursed her lips. "Call me tonight when you get home and out of this messy weather. I want to hear from you."

Angela sped towards the door and Jasmine chased after her, wondering how such a small lady/woman could move so fast in those heels.

"What is this for?" Jasmine called out.

"You'll have to give me a call and see. I'm legit, trust me." The woman stepped into a sleek, black corvette and rolled down the window. "I'll be waiting!"

Jasmine couldn't get another word out before the woman disappeared down the street. Before tucking the card in her back pocket, she took off. 'What a strange day…'

* * *

"So do you want to explain what happened at the restaurant?" Tifa asked as she watched Jasmine stare intently into the television screen as if nothing else was more important.

Jasmine tightened the strap of her bathrobe. "I just ran into a few people I really don't care for."

Tifa knew that this wasn't the only issue. "I'm gonna guess that there was a small confrontation? Or am I ahead of myself here?"

"You're right, and to keep myself from speaking out and possibly hurting your business I just had someone else cover for me. Larxene might have tried to buy up the property if I pissed her off," Jasmine breathed. "Besides, I was tired."

"Roxas and Naminé dropped by about a couple of minutes after you left. I couldn't tell them where you went because I had no idea. Please don't scare me like that again," Tifa asked sadly.

Feeling the weight of the situation, Jasmine promised to at least warn Tifa before she went off. 'I don't know why I did that. Maybe it's the holiday season that has me down.'

"I'm not going to continue to pester you about what happened, but I want you to know that I'm always here if you want to talk."

Jasmine simply nodded her head. "I will. It was just a long day that lasted too long for its own good."

The doorbell rang and Tifa hurried to the front. Jasmine was so out of tune with the world that she hadn't noticed Roxas' presence until he kissed her on the forehead, frightening her by appearing so suddenly.

"Calm down, it's only me."

"Sorry. I'm just trying to relax. It's been a long day."

Roxas brushed off his heavy winter jacket while Jasmine wondered how he survived during the winter when his family vacationed in extremely cold climates. He took a seat next to her on the floor and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head and said nothing. "Not really."

Trying to find some way to cheer her up, he offered, "Then can I take you out for dinner or something? We didn't get to hang out after our finals and I was hoping you wanted to celebrate with me."

Jasmine rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. Even though she didn't care too much about what other people thought of her, Larxene's words stung. Just being there with Roxas, the memories flooded back and it was becoming harder and harder to keep herself relaxed.

"I don't know, Roxas."

"I already asked Tifa," he kissed her cheek. "She said I could keep you out all night. Finals are over."

'He's not listening to me. His intentions are good but he doesn't get it.' Jasmine's shoulders sagged. "Roxas, I'm really tired. I'm not trying to be mean or antisocial, but today was really tiring. I'm sorry, but I just want to rest today."

Roxas stiffened. He'd never actually been burned like this and in a way it kind of hurt. He removed his hand and stood up. "Sorry for trying to spend a little bit of time with you."

Jasmine could feel it: whatever irritation she had towards Larxene and Alex would be unleashed on Roxas if he wasn't careful. "I'm not feeling up to it. I can't help it, Roxas."

"Okay, fine. But even today," his voice started to rise, "half the time it's like you don't want to do anything with us. There have been a couple of times when you turned down an outing when you know you could have come."

'Hold it together,' she chanted mentally. "That's because I happen to be busy, legitimately. I'm sorry I don't have all the time in the world like you do."

Roxas huffed. "You're my girlfriend! I'm going to ask you out so we can hang out. It's what we do!"

"But I don't have all the time in the world to do these things," Jasmine continued to sit on the floor. "You should know how important it is for me to keep up my grades, otherwise I can't stay here. Why can't you understand that?"

"I do understand!" Roxas' voice began to elevate even more in volume. Any second, Jasmine expected Tifa to burst in to see what the problem was. "Even if it doesn't seem like it, I understand you."

Something snapped in Jasmine then and she felt her heart sank. She didn't let it show. Instead, her eyes turned icy cold and dark. She rose on her feet and balled her fists. "You don't understand, Roxas."

"What the heck are you talking about?" There was something frightening about how hard her eyes were and how dark her voice became. "I do—"

"Ha," she chuckled, "no you don't. If you did, you wouldn't be acting like this now. And even if you weren't you don't understand me at all." All of her frustration from the past few weeks was surfacing. "Oh yeah, I'm on your arm but you don't know some of the most basic things about me. What's my favorite color?"

Hesitantly he replied, "Purple."

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Right. Too easy. What kind of music do I like?"

"…R n B and pop."

"You're half right but most people like those genres. Where was I from before I moved here?"

Roxas racked his brain. She never told him where she was from.

"Do I have a sibling?"

"No," he answered more confidently.

"Nice one, I had to tell you that though. When is my birthday, Roxas?"

He cursed mentally and wished that he knew. Even he had to admit that this was pretty bad.

Jasmine then took a step closer to him and her eyes blazed. "Roxas, what is my first name?"

Shame came over Roxas but he tried to make one final attempt to save himself. "You never—"

But Jasmine cut him off. "Why can't you ask Roxas? Are you so content with the way things are that you just let stuff go? So I guess you thought it was okay to not try to get to know me. You didn't even try. A good friend would ask questions. You didn't. This is why we aren't doing as well as we could be. The main reason why I was hesitant to start a relationship is because of everything that we go through. But you don't understand me at all. Don't ever try to say that again. It makes you look like an idiot." She looked at him with disdain and stepped aside, expecting him to make his way for the door.

Roxas' hands trembled. He'd never seen her so irritated or angry before. Not even when they fought about that guy. He took a couple of steps past her but made one final attempt to fix this.

"Jasmine, I'm so sorry. I…"

When she looked over her shoulder and stared at him, she gave Roxas a heart-stopping stare. "Don't," she hissed.

Without saying another word, Roxas left. Once Jasmine heard his car start, she slumped to the floor and rested on her stomach. She ran her fingers along the carpet and fished for the card in her back pocket. Jasmine grabbed her cell phone and mindlessly dialed in the number.

On the second ring, the person picked up. "Hello this is Angela."

"Hi Angela, this is Jasmine. The girl you met—"

Angela laughed joyously. "I didn't forget about you! I was waiting for you to call!"

"Sorry," Jasmine apologized.

Angela caught the sadness in Jasmine's voice. "What's wrong sweetheart? Rough day?"

"It got even more so but it's fine."

"Well what if I said I could turn it around?"

Jasmine chuckled. She didn't see how. "I'd say "try me" and hoped it worked."

"Trust me, it will," Angela replied confidently.


	25. Chapter 25: Friendzone

**Author's Note: **school has seriously put a halt to my writing T_T but hopefully I can continue on with this story and the others. This chapter takes place over a period of time (close to a week and a half with the breaks) and it isn't meant to be like a day or so if that helps. I wanna thank **animechick247, Frooky90 **and **Sayonara Yasashii Akumu **for the reviews. Haha it seems that everyone has gone towards the Faye/Riku team as opposed to the Jasmine/Roxas side.

Reviews and feedback are always welcome. Take care!

-Skye

* * *

While Jasmine sat and ate her cereal, Tifa watched Jasmine's phone vibrate across the table. "Aren't you going to answer that?"

Jasmine took another bite of her breakfast. "No way. I just want to enjoy my meal."

"What if it's Roxas?" Tifa asked, setting a bowl down at the placemat next to Jasmine's.

"I know who it is," she said slowly. "I just don't feel like answering him. My mood hasn't improved."

Tifa sat next to Jasmine. "Even with what happened last night? How can you not be excited?"

Jasmine wrapped her hair into a bun and held it in place with a chopstick. "I don't know. I guess part of me doesn't believe this just happened. I mean, how often is it that a random girl gets scouted to be in a music video for one of the island's premiere, award winning singers?"

"Never," Tifa replied with a smile. "Which is why you should be excited! Jasmine, that woman saw something special in you. Believe it or not, you have a look and people are starting to notice. Take this as a sign."

Jasmine sighed heavily. "Even if it's true, Tifa, it still doesn't help the fact that I'm in a bad situation right now." She took the glass of apple juice next to her and drank it till it was empty. "Apparently I'm known as the school whore among those rich girls and knowing Larxene and Alex, they'll ruin me before school gets started again. That's why I left the restaurant," she turned to Tifa, "they gave me so much crap and if I would've stood there another second, I would've jumped across the table and tried to break her neck. Then Roxas and I dgot into it. I'm sure everyone knows what happened by now. I don't want to have to talk to anyone of them about this."

"But they're your friends," Tifa argued, "you do have people you can go to."

"Not them," she slammed the glass down, "they're Roxas' friends before my own. I won't go to them."

"When are you going to let them into your life? They honestly care about you," Tifa pleaded. "You can't go on like this forever."

Jasmine rolled her eyes, picked up her bowl and washed it in the sink. "I highly doubt that they know any of the answers to the questions I've asked him. Maybe I'm just really sour right now, but I don't care to deal with this. They'll come with questions but I don't feel like responding to them right now."

Once more, Jasmine's phone skidded across the table. The preview setting on her text started with:

_Please, I just want to talk. I didn't mean…_

With that, Jasmine shut off the phone and pocketed it.

"You're gonna drive him crazy," Tifa tapped her spoon against the bowl. "That boy probably didn't mean for things to have transpired the way they did. Roxas is a good guy."

"He is, but that's part of the problem." Jasmine headed for the stairs, being ever so careful as she walked backwards, "good guys are the ones who end up shocking you the most. I'm just gonna lay low for a while."

Once Tifa finished off the milk in the bowl, she said, "don't forget that Angela wants you to be ready on Monday for a meeting. You should go shopping and pick out something for the meeting."

"But I don't want to spend the money," Jasmine countered, placing a hand on the banister.

"I put three hundred dollars into your debit/savings account this morning," Tifa waved her hand. "Pick out some cute winter clothes while you're at it. I can always steal something from you later."

Jasmine's eyes widened. "Why would you do that? It's not my money. It's yours."

"Because I want you to look awesome for your meeting," she replied. "It's not every day that you get a chance like this."

Jasmine had been fighting Tifa for a while and she knew that Tifa was going to have her way this time. "Okay fine. But let me pay you back by working in the restaurant for a little while."

"Nope," Tifa steadily drank from her coffee mug. "I figure you'll be taking care of me when you become filthy rich so eventually I'll be living with you in your mansion somewhere."

Jasmine smiled and rolled her eyes. "Of course; that's what I've always wanted from our relationship: for you to grow old and have to live with me."

"That was always the plan," the she said sarcastically, doesn't it sound wonderful?"

"It's what I've always dreamt of," Jasmine replied, doubling the sarcasm with twinkling eyes.

* * *

"I'm waiting for it, Naminé," Roxas said grimly as he and his sister ate lunch in their family's dining room. He looked at his phone. "I really screwed up."

Naminé calmly took a bite out of her waffle. "I'm going to be honest, that was horrible, Roxas."

Roxas pushed back his plate of barely eaten food. "She hasn't spoken to me in days. I keep calling but she won't pick up. When I went over to her house, Tifa said that she wasn't home. I don't know whether she was home or not but I can tell that I'm not wanted right now."

"Not shocking," Naminé said with a slight heaviness in her usually soft voice. "But if Tifa said she wasn't home, I believe it. Jasmine and Tifa don't lie."

"How do you know that?"

The blond girl pushed her plate to the side. "Because I asked her, and she told me so." Naminé's eyes fell on the window overlooking their garden. "Quiet as it's kept, we're all in the same boat here."

"Last time I checked, you weren't freaking out that the person you're with is probably going to dump you flat on your face," he retorted.

Naminé twiddled her fingers against the tabletop. "Look at the situation clearly Roxas: we all haven't really been the best of friends we could have been to Jasmine. None of us have. So quite frankly everyone is in hot water."

Roxas shook his head. "Axel was right. I should have taken the time to really get to know her more. It's like I don't even know who I'm dealing with. After all this time, thinking I knew everything I needed to know, I failed at even figuring out her first name."

"For you, I see two options: one is to call it quits and become friends." Upon hearing the first option, Roxas' face paled. "And the second option is to hope that she doesn't break up with you. Regardless, you've got to make this right."

"There's nothing I can do until she speaks to me. Until then, we just have to wait it out."

* * *

Jasmine mindless watched television while sitting curled up in her bed. 'That's the best thing about not having classes: I can relax and chill out.'

While the thought rolled around in her head, Jasmine picked up her cell phone. She had ten text messages and three voicemails, all of which came from Roxas. At the very least, she could clear out her inbox.

_I'm so sorry about what happened._

She deleted the text and moved onto the next one.

_I know I don't have a right to try and even talk to you right now, but please call back._

She deleted this message as well and read the next few, erasing them from her inbox as she went along.

_I never meant to be such an idiot. _

_You have every right to be mad. _

_This was all my fault._

Jasmine looped her hair behind her ear. 'This guy must really be feeling the weight of everything.' She rolled on her stomach and stared at the screen.

_Can we talk about this?_

'Next.'

_You're probably not happy to hear from me._

'Yeah because you're blowing up my inbox,' she thought tiredly. Jasmine deleted everything but the last message.

_If anything Jasmine, I just wanted to tell you how truly sorry I am. You were right: I didn't know you as well as I thought. It's probably too late to try and change anything but I'd give anything for another chance to make this work. _

Jasmine groaned and buried her head in her pillow. "Why can't this be easier?"

Her phone vibrated again, making her flinch. Too tired to even look at the screen, she tapped button for speakerphone and waited for a voice.

"I really hope you aren't in bed," Riku snickered on the other end of the line.

Strangely, Jasmine was quite happy to hear Riku's voice. She rolled on her side and put the phone to her ear. "It's my winter vacation. Can't a girl get some peace and quiet in her bedroom?"

"From what I've been hearing, you _haven't_ been getting any of that."

She frowned slightly. It was to be expected that Sora, given that he was close to Roxas, would have told his best friend about the recent drama within their circle. "Not any," she replied dryly. "Roxas has been blowing up my phone for the past week."

"And you haven't called him back yet I'm assuming." Riku's statement was final. He already knew the answer but just waited for her to give him the conformation. "The poor boy is probably tearing out his hair from the agonizing wait. I'll be surprised if he isn't bald by the time school gets started."

"Quite frankly, I'm not in much of a social mood right now. You're the only one I've spoken to from the group in days."

Riku then became a lot quieter. "Faye, why do you push yourself away from everyone?"

Initially caught off guard by his question, she sat up in bed. "I just didn't want to have to explain the situation. For now it's my business and Roxas' business, but it would seem as though he couldn't keep our personal affairs to himself."

"Would you have even come to me with all this?"

"I didn't want to bother you while you were on vacation."

Suddenly, Riku's voice went sharp. "That's the problem, Faye. You don't understand that there's someone who cares about you who wants to help you through these things. It's fine that you're independent but out of everyone, you should have come to me. I'm not here to make your life harder. I'm here to help you out."

Out of nowhere, Jasmine laughed. It was the most broken, hollow laugh that Riku had ever heard in his life. "I guess I really should have talked to my partner. Where was my head?"

"Faye…" he started, sounding quite worried.

"Don't worry about me," she insisted. "Actually, talking to you did more good that you think. But honestly, I'm super tired so can I talk to you later?"

"Faye," Riku said, a little stronger this time around.

"I have a lot to tell you. Besides the whole Roxas thing, something major did happen. I'll handle Roxas before Christmas."

"I already have an idea of what your decision is on this," Riku sighed.

"Are you trying to tell me that I should stay with Roxas? This was a bad idea from the get-go."

"No," Riku shifted in the background, as if he were on a bed or couch of sorts. "I'm not going to tell you to stay with him. This is entirely up to you. Other than the fact that you don't call when something is on your mind, you pretty much make good decisions. Just be careful on how you handle this," he advised, "Roxas really does care about you even if he's totally oblivious to what's truly going on around him."

Jasmine dove back into her covers. Riku's absence for the week had a definite impact on her. It wasn't major, but when he was gone, she noticed it for sure. "For some random reason, I miss you."

Riku laughed hard into the other end, forcing Jasmine to take the phone away from her ear. "I knew you'd come over to my team one day."

"Not even," she argued, "it's just that it's obvious when you aren't around."

"Yeah, it's like our circle of friends just got substantially less attractive."

"You're so arrogant," Jasmine felt herself falling asleep. "I wonder how Sora and Kairi put up with you all these years. Man, I would have left you by now."

Riku stopped laughing but the humor was still present in his voice. "Because they're my best friends, that's why. They will leave me though one day."

The slight hint of sadness caught Jasmine's attention. "Why do you say that?"

"They're going to end up married and have a ton of kids," Riku explained. "Besides, when I graduate we'll be going off in separate directions. Are we gonna keep in contact? For sure. But those two were meant for each other. It _will _happen."

Not in all the months of knowing Riku, had Jasmine seen this side of him. Riku never let anything slip through his voice, but she clearly caught the sliver of sadness in his words. "I can't say what will happen since I don't know them that well, but someone like you will never have to worry about making friends," she chuckled, "or fangirls."

"True, but fans tend to disappear after a while too," he said.

"…you have a point. Well, not that I've ever had fans but I can kinda see how that would happen. If anything, just keep your true friends closest to you no matter what. Then, it shouldn't matter when those groupies decide to disappear."

"How do you manage to store all this good advice in your head?"

"It just comes to me when it's necessary," Jasmine replied. "But back to the whole Sora and Kairi thing, you'll find someone so amazing that you're gonna run off together and not give a crap about what happens."

"Heh, do you honestly see that happening for me?"

Jasmine nearly bolted up in her bed. "What the hell Riku? Of course it could happen to you!"

"Sorry, sorry! Calm down."

Once she was laying back down, she exhaled. "Don't be such a downer. That kind of thing can happen to anyone."

"Even you?"

Jasmine closed her eyes, hoping for sleep to come. "I'm better off alone."

"And you had the nerve to tell me _I _was being the downer."

"Well," she yawned, "I call it as I see it."

"What is it going to take to snap you out of this line of thinking?"

"A very startling, life-changing shocker," Jasmine answered automatically, as if she'd been asked this question hundreds of times before. "Now can I go to bed?"

Finally, after a painfully long silence, Riku agreed to let her go. "This isn't over," he told her sternly.

"That's fine by me, so long as I can rest up for the fight ahead," Jasmine countered.

"Goodnight, Faye."

She yawned. "Night, Riku."

Once she hung up on him, she scrolled through her phone book. 'Hopefully, my mood won't show too much through my voice.' Jasmine dialed a familiar number and waited. The person picked up before the second ring.

"Jasmine?" Roxas replied a little too quickly.

'He probably had the phone in his hands,' she reasoned. "Hello, Roxas," she greeted emotionlessly.

"Umm, how are you?" he asked cautiously.

Jasmine rolled her eyes. 'He acts like I'm about to set fire to his house.' She kicked off the sheets and ignored his question. "The _real _question is: how are you? You sound like any moment I'm about to show up at your door with a butcher knife in hand. Relax."

Roxas cleared his throat loudly and awkwardly. "Did you get my calls?"

"Yes I did," she said calmly. Jasmine walked over to her closet, fishing out a dark blazer, her jeans and suede boots. "What are you doing now?"

"I'm home with Naminé."

"Can you meet me somewhere? I wanted to talk about what happened."

All too quickly he agreed to meet up. "Where? I really wanted to talk to you too."

"The Starbucks near the mall," she replied, changing into her clothes. "Is that fine?"

"Yeah, totally," he said a little too excitedly. "Do you want me to pick you up?"

Jasmine slipped on her jeans, then her boots. "No I can meet you there."

"Jasmine, it's almost nine. I don't want you walking in the dark."

She sighed while tying her hair into a messy bun. "I can handle myself."

"No," Roxas said firmly.

Jasmine smiled a bit. 'He still has that chivalrous attitude going.' She took a seat on the edge of her chair. "Fine, I'll see you in ten minutes."

"I'll be there in five minutes." His keys clanged together in the background. "See you soon."

She said "bye" before hanging up. 'This won't go well.'

* * *

The whole thing was awkward from the moment Roxas came to the door. Armed with an unreadable, calm expression on her face, Jasmine seemed to be the one in control for the time being. They didn't bother with hugs or kisses: Roxas knew it was way too soon.

As they drove, the car was dead silent. Usually Roxas would have at least the radio going but he left it off for the entire ride. Neither one of them dared say anything, especially Roxas who seemed to be on pins and needles.

The stress of the wait was apparent on Roxas' face. He had dark circles underneath his usually bright eyes and he seemed more weary than normal. As he drove, he stole quick glances at Jasmine, searching for any sign of hostility or disappointment. He almost wished he did see something, that way he could better prepare himself and come up with a counterargument or plea.

Instead, he made an observation. "Your hair is really long."

"I let it grow out," she replied without hesitation.

He swallowed hard. 'I don't know if she's intentionally being so harsh or if I'm just over-thinking this whole thing.'

When they pulled up to the mall and Jasmine was about to un-do her seatbelt, Roxas stopped her by putting his hand over hers. "Can we talk right here?"

She stared long and hard at his hand. "Here?"

"Yeah," he answered, feeling the total weight of all the guilt and discomfort crushing down on him. "Do you want to start first or should I?"

"It feels like you've got a lot on your mind so you can go ahead," Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest.

Roxas gripped the steering wheel. At any moment he expected her to say "it's over" and shut him off entirely. But still he had to try. "I know you got my messages and texts over the past week, you just didn't respond."

'There's a reason for that,' Jasmine thought tiredly.

"I really can't get mad at you for that," he said finally.

"That's because you _don't _have the right to even _try _to be mad at me," Jasmine snapped.

"I know, I know, I know," Roxas shook his head. "It's my fault entirely. I failed as a boyfriend and I failed even harder at being a friend. There are certain things I should know and should have asked about. Not doing that made it seem like I didn't care." He watched a couple walk by in front of the car. The girl was on the guy's back and they were laughing. Roxas wished that he could go back in time to where he and Jasmine were that happy. "I got too comfortable after we got together. It's like I stopped trying."

The car was quiet for a good five minutes, each person lost in their own thoughts. While Jasmine twiddled her thumbs against the dashboard she tried to think of what to say. She knew that regardless of what she said at this point, one of them would end up hurt.

"What are you thinking about right now?" he asked distantly.

Jasmine snapped out of her daze and leaned forward. "I came here to break up with you."

Instantly, Roxas' face paled to where he looked sickly.

She continued, "That day we got into it, I'll be honest: Larxene and I had a confrontation and I'm pretty sure that a lot of what I was feeling towards her got pushed onto you. For that, I apologize. I didn't mean to blow up at you like that." Jasmine paused and looked at Roxas who tried his best to not look as if he'd been stuck across the face. 'Why do I suddenly feel guilty?'

"I understand why you would be upset that day," Roxas said finally.

'I can't believe I'm about to do this,' she thought. The hurt in his eyes reminded her of something she'd seen in herself too many times and it stung. "Because of that, I wasn't in the right state of mind—not that it's okay to lash out at someone. If you still want to, we can work things out."

A glimmer of hope shined in Roxas' dull eyes. "So…you're not gonna break up with me?"

Jasmine leaned against the window and gave him a small, slightly broken smile. "Only if you want me to. But we can't keep going through this, Roxas. I want us to be friends but let's start fresh and ease into this."

Roxas let his hands slip into his lap. "What does that mean?"

"It means that I want to take things back a bit, we can learn more about each other and then in the future, we can try again. That is, if you're up for it."

'So I still have a shot,' Roxas reasoned. "So in a way, we broke up but didn't?"

"There's a lot of stuff about me you don't know about. Some things you may like, a lot you might not," Jasmine told him, pouring out her honesty. "We're back to friends, but I'm open to the idea for possibly getting back together. Does that work for you?"

It was incredibly bittersweet but Roxas had to take it. There was no way he could be in a relationship by himself and at least now he had a chance to work on things. Still…

Roxas took her hand and laced their fingers. "It's fine, as long as I can keep fighting."

"You never know, things might change. Let's just leave it open for now," Jasmine leaned back in her seat. "But we are friends still. We just have a lot to work on."

Roxas knew they wouldn't be together at the end of this and he still felt sad because she had in fact broken up with him. However, he never expected that she'd give him a chance to maybe get back together in the future. Now all he had to do was work twice as hard to show her that he was the person she needed to be with.

"I can deal with that," he started the car and froze before taking off. "Uh, Jasmine?"

She turned to him. "Yeah?"

Roxas backed out of the parking spot and took off back towards her house. "I really thought you were gonna dump me flat on my face and cuss me out."

"I'm not heartless, Roxas."

He cleared his throat. "True," Roxas quickly glanced over at her, "but you scare me a bit. It's like, you've got this whole other side I haven't really seen yet. Except for the part where you're angry at me…"

Suddenly, Jasmine's eyes flashed with a sort of all-knowing stare with a smirk hidden behind it. "I'm never angry, Roxas. I just get irritated."

His eyes widened in fear. "Are you joking? _That _wasn't anger? You were just _irritated_?"

"Uh huh," she replied pleasantly while shutting her eyes and smiling innocently.

'God, I'd better watch myself from now on…' Roxas thought as he let the radio play and drown out the idea of what Jasmine would be like if she were truly angry. 'This is gonna be a long ride.'


	26. Chapter 26: New Experiences

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait. Let's get right to it! I wanna thank my reviewers **animechick247, Frooky90, Kanika Meskhenet, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu **and **Clumsy Clouds**. Yes, it is over between Jasmine and Roxas...for now hehe.

And I added in another character you all should know from the KH universe. Reviews are always welcome because I wanna know what you guys think.

As for _Crimson Hands of Time, _I'm sorry to say that you guys still haven't guessed who the "monsters" or beings are. I'll add another chapter within the next few days and maybe that'll give a bigger clue. I kind of take responsibility because I put my own spin on the "monsters". Look out for that soon.

Happy Halloween!

-Skye

* * *

Jasmine walked through the halls of the record company where Angela worked feeling a little less than confident. She didn't believe in the woman until she saw her name written in gold on a glass office door overlooking the entire city. Everything was seemed legitimate. As far as she could see, if this operation was a scam, it was a pretty good one.

Checking over herself once more in the mirror, Jasmine felt that she looked decent. Clad in a gray trenchcoat over a simple, long-sleeved, metallic gunmetal gray dress with black, thigh high, flat suede boots with her hair pinned in a high, messy bun, she felt that if she wasn't ready at this point she probably would never be.

She knocked lightly on the glass and peeked inside. There were three people in the room: one she assumed was Angela who looked up from her desk and sped over to the door, and the other two she was unfamiliar with.

Angela swung open the door and grinned. "Wow, don't you look fashionable?"

Jasmine blushed. "Thank you."

"Well don't just stand there," Angela pulled Jasmine inside by her sleeve. It amazed the hazel-eyed youth how fast Angela could move in her sky-high heels.

Jasmine stared at the office in wonder. She knew from the business card that Angela was high up in the company, but judging from her office, all the awards on the wall and photographs with celebrities that she was definitely at the top. Before Jasmine could get a good look at Angela's desk she felt herself being yanked to a long table near the window.

"Jasmine, this is my good friend Victoria," Angela introduced her to a tall woman with shoulder length red hair and fox-like brown eyes. She, like Angela, was dressed from head to toe in designer clothes and had a cheery disposition although she was nowhere near as bubbly as the dirty blond.

Victoria took Jasmine's hand and shook it. "Angela was right, you are pretty."

Jasmine's blush deepened. "Oh wow. Thank you."

"I like your look," Victoria gave Jasmine a quick once over. She turned to her associate next to her and smiled. "Well, what do you think? You're the star here."

When Jasmine's eyes followed Victoria's, they nearly shot out of her head.

The man sitting next to Victoria had grass green eyes, blond hair styled into a Mohawk and a familiar smile that could melt any female fan's heart. He straightened up in his seat and grinned. "I like her!" He proclaimed.

"Demyx?" Jasmine whispered hoarsely, shocked to find herself in the same room as him. Demyx was a chart-topping singer, lyricist who (in his nineteen years of life) had already secured twelve music awards for his catchy pop, rock, dance songs and video direction. He sold out concert stadiums all around the world within an hour after the box office opened and was one of the most hard-working entertainers in the industry.

Angela tugged on Jasmine's sleeve. "I guess I should have warned you who my client was," she laughed, pulling Jasmine into a seat across from Demyx.

"I'm not one for surprises but this is okay," Jasmine managed.

"I called you down here Jasmine because Demyx is shooting a music video for his latest single "Ghost"," Angela began. "We've been searching for months to find the perfect girl for this video. It's a dark love song about losing the one you love the most and chasing after them, even though they're gone."

Jasmine's smile shrunk. "That's depressing, but it happens."

Victoria took out pen and clanked it against the clipboard in front of her. "As you are probably aware, Angela is an entertainer who released countless hits in her days who then decided to start this record company, Blue Fire Records."

And then it hit Jasmine. She stared at Angela's face for a long while and tried her hardest to keep her jaw from dropping. Now she realized it. Angela was a singer from before she was born who produced some of the most amazing love songs and ballads she'd ever heard.

"I figured that my time would best be spent helping other young artists," she patted Demyx's shoulder, "get a head start in the music industry."

Jasmine felt embarrassed. She wondered how she could not have seen it earlier. Angela looked familiar but Jasmine figured that she'd look much older.

"Plus Angela is good at taking care of our younger stars," Victoria added on, clicking the pen. "Since Demyx is nineteen, we make sure that the media doesn't get their hands on him as we do our other clients. The media can ruin lives and it's our job as managers to keep his life as easy as possible," she chuckled, "as easy as it could be with being a worldwide star."

"The main point of all this Jasmine," Angela announced, taking out a packet, "we've been searching for the right girl for this part for months."

Victoria rolled her eyes at Demyx. "It would've been easier if Demyx would have just picked someone."

Demyx crossed his arms over his chest, turning away from Victoria. "None of them fit the part. It wouldn't have done the song or video justice!"

"Anyway," Angela chuckled at Demyx's fit and Victoria's obvious annoyance. "When I saw you walk into the shop that day, there was something about you that I loved and that I thought Demyx would love too."

"So," Jasmine began skeptically, shifting in her seat, "you thought that _I _should be the girl in the video?"

Victoria and Angela grinned. "Exactly," they said simultaneously. Then Victoria said, "I do like her style and her whole demeanor. Now, if she could sing and dance, you'd definitely have something Angela."

"Demyx," Angela said, "What do you think? Does she look the part for your video?"

Demyx jumped out of his seat and pulled Jasmine to her feet. The blond-haired musician gave Jasmine a twirl and pulled her to his chest, making her face turn red. "I'd say so," he replied cheerfully, smiling down at her. "It's gotta look real. You don't have a boyfriend do you?"

"Currently no," she gasped. His grip was like that of a snake.

"Yay!" he cheered, loosening his hold on her by only a fraction. "This is perfect! I didn't want to make your special someone jealous."

Jasmine sighed into his chest and hid her face. 'I don't have one of those anymore.'

"Alright fine," Victoria handed Jasmine a packet. "Demyx says he wants you, and Angela recommended you. You've got the part. But since you're sixteen, we'll need consent forms from a parent or legal guardian."

'Thank god Tifa can sign for me.' Jasmine could practically hear her mother now. She'd probably whine about how I should be inside studying or something. As for my father….' Jasmine shuddered at the thought.

"My dear," Victoria said, "consider yourself lucky. You're going to be featured in one of the most anticipated videos for the year. We start rehearsals next week and then we shoot the following week."

"I can hardly wait," Demyx cheered, getting a tighter grip on Jasmine than the junior had expected.

"I-I can hardly b-breathe…" Jasmine choked.

* * *

Jasmine threw an oversized, gray, Mickey Mouse sweatshirt over her head and stuffed the money Tifa gave her in her pocket. She slipped on a pair of flat suede boots, pocketed the list of groceries she needed and headed out the door.

'I can't believe this.' She ran down the street and repeatedly hit the button for the crosswalk. 'What was I thinking when I handed in that contract to be in Demyx's video? I must have been out of my mind after breaking up with Roxas.'

Once the light changed to green, Jasmine pulled her tote bag close to her and dashed across the street. Out on the island, sports cars tended to overlook pedestrians and Jasmine was determined to not end up on the evening news.

'I don't even know why Angela picked me.' She darted past a couple girls from school and turned the corner sharply. 'There are actresses, singers, models out there who would probably do a better job than me. Talking about taking a big risk on a nobody…'

When Jasmine had finished rounding the corner, she collided with another human being and fell flat on her bottom. Stifling the curse she had lodged in her throat, she instead rubbed her throbbing head.

"Since when did people have to feel like brick walls?" Jasmine grumbled under her breath, grabbing her tote.

The person she had run into grabbed her by her elbow and hoisted her to her feet easily. "Nice to see you too, Faye," Riku chuckled, still holding onto her arm.

Her hazel eyes widened. "What the heck are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Venice?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "We came back early. My mom wanted to have a Christmas at home."

"Seems logical," she noted. Jasmine caught herself staring at Riku. As usual, he was dressed to kill in a pair of designer jeans, dark blue collared shirt, a dark gray trenchcoat and a matching beanie hanging slightly off his head. For a moment, her mind wandered around the fact that he looked really nice but she shook the thought away instantly. Jasmine then stared at her arm. "Do you mind letting me go?"

Riku released her arm and she dropped back to the ground. The heat from his touch still lingered, burning her almost in a way.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked quizzically.

"I'm going grocery shopping," she told him, walking on and leaving him behind her.

Riku appeared beside her and tucked his hands in his pockets. "Why don't you get a ride?"

"Because I like walking," she mumbled. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Riku grinned mischievously. "This is my winter vacation. I can do whatever I want."

Jasmine stopped talking and looked both ways before crossing the street. She thought she left Riku a while back until she felt his hand on her shoulder, ushering her across the busy street. Once they were safely on the sidewalk and in front of the grocery store, she whipped around to face him.

"Care to share why you're following me?" she asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"I'm bored," he deadpanned.

Jasmine's shoulder sagged. "I swear you're like some random dog following me around like you expect me to lead you somewhere."

Riku looked up to the sky. "Am I a cute dog?"

"Yes—I mean," Jasmine slapped herself in the face while Riku laughed. "Do you expect me to entertain you or something? Am I like a clown or something?"

"Well you are entertaining," Riku agreed. "I wouldn't go so far as to say clown-like; they freak me out big time. You on the other hand just make me laugh."

Jasmine pressed her palm to her forehead. 'I'm going to end up killing him.' She ignored Riku and walked into the store. Jasmine grabbed a hand basket but had it snatched out of her hand a second later.

"Riku!" Jasmine half-yelled, "Don't make me end up putting you six feet under!"

Riku challenged, "I don't _really _think you'll do it."

"Oh? Really?" Jasmine eyed him dangerously and went on about her business, heading to the back where the meats were. "Don't test me."

Riku looked curiously over her shoulder while she sorted through the meats. "What are you doing?"

"Grocery shopping obviously," she growled, taking out a container of ground beef from the bottom of the pile.

A few seconds later, Riku asked, "Why didn't you take the one from on top?"

"Because here, they put the older meat on top to get rid of it," she replied. "The newer stuff is usually on the bottom." Jasmine looked at the hand basket. "Make yourself useful," she set the meat down in the basket and headed off towards the dairy section.

When they got there, Riku held open the refrigerator door for Jasmine. "Does the same thing go for milk too?"

Jasmine grabbed a gallon of milk put it next to the meat. "Yeah." She started to walk towards the grains isle and stopped. "Why is this so foreign to you?"

Riku looked away. For a second, Jasmine could've thought that she saw a very faint tint of pink on his fair cheeks. "I have never been grocery shopping before," he admitted.

"Well," Jasmine inwardly smiled at the situation and found it slightly adorable at how out of his element Riku was. Usually he was so confident and arrogant. Now he was like a little kid seeing an aquarium for the first time. "There's a first time for everything. No big deal."

She led him towards the pasta section and dumped a bag of rice and a packet of noodles into the basket.

"You don't find it strange that I've never in my whole life been grocery shopping before?" he asked cautiously.

Jasmine adjusted her glassing hanging on the tip of her nose. "Well, it is a bit weird. But then again, I don't judge. Someone always did the shopping for you, huh?"

Riku nodded.

"Not surprising, but as I said it's not a big deal. You're learning now." She spotted chocolates in the isle far off at the other end of the store and took off, pulling Riku by his sleeve. "C'mon! I'm in need of chocolate!"

Riku found Jasmine's strength a bit frightening. "Don't rip my arm off!"

* * *

Once Jasmine and Riku were out the store, she popped a stick of pocky in her mouth like it was a cigarette and smiled. Riku followed behind, carrying a good portion of her groceries. "Are you sure you don't want me to drive you home? It'll be a lot faster."

"Nope," Jasmine took off a good chunk of the chocolate covered biscuit stick and grinned. "I don't live far. Besides, I enjoy walking."

Riku shrugged his shoulders and quickened his pace so that he was at her side. "What the heck are you eating?"

"Pocky," she answered with a smile. "It's really good."

A soft smile Jasmine had never seen before on him surfaced and his curiosity peaked. "You're eating it like it's some kind of drug."

"That's because it is my drug," She stopped and held out a piece for him to try. "Come on, eat it. Or is my "commoner" food not up to your standards," Jasmine teased.

"Not sure," Riku took it from her hand and continued to walk, stopping once he bit into it. "Oh wow…"

Jasmine brushed past him and tossed the remainder of the chocolate treats into her tote bag. "See? I told ya so. And you say I'm the weird one."

The pair continued to walk down the streets, Jasmine always a few steps ahead of Riku. After a couple of minutes, a group of boys they'd never seen before turned onto the same sidewalk that Jasmine and Riku were on. A couple of the boys stared at Jasmine with curious looks in their eyes, looking her up and down.

Jasmine was startled when she felt Riku's arm wrap protectively around her shoulders and he seemed to usher her along. She wasn't entirely sure, but she could have sworn that she saw him give the boys an icy stare.

Once they were far away and on Jasmine's block she broke away from him. "What was that about?"

"Am I not allowed to touch you? Do I make your skin crawl?"

"You know what I mean," she growled, fishing for her keys as she walked up the driveway. "What was up with you back there?"

Riku held the door open for Jasmine as she carried in the groceries. "You mean you didn't see that?"

"See what?"

"Those guys staring at you…c'mon Jasmine," Riku sighed.

It was quite easy to see that she had not paid those boys any mind. "If they were, I didn't notice it."

"Jasmine!"

Before Jasmine could look, she had been tackled to the floor by Yuffie who nearly squeezed the young girl to death. "We were all waiting for you! Where have you been?"

Jasmine pried Yuffie's hands from around her neck in order to catch her breath. "It's nice to see you too, Yuffie."

"Seriously!" Yuffie waved her arms wildly. "Zack and Aerith are here waiting!"

"Sorry about that," she apologized, collecting the groceries that had spilled from her shopping bags. "Tifa had me go out and buy a few things for the house."

Once Yuffie was up and pulled Jasmine to her feet, her eyes immediately fell on Riku. With a crooked smile she asked, "Jasmine, who is this?"

Yuffie's smile was too threatening, setting Jasmine on edge. "Uh, Yuffie…"

"Yo!" Zack came in and wrapped an arm around Jasmine's tense shoulders. "What's up? Haven't seen you since the restaurant incident…"

When Riku shifted on his feet, the bags in his hand rustled. Zack looked from Jasmine to Riku multiple times and an eyebrow rose in suspicion. "Uh, Jasmine, who is this?" His arm dropped from Jasmine's shoulders and he stood between the pair of teenagers.

"That's just what I was trying to figure out." Yuffie stood between Riku and Zack and tried her best to glare up at the unknown, silver-haired boy. "Well, who are you?"

Jasmine slapped her hand over her eyes. 'I knew they'd do this.' "You guys, this is Riku."

"Nice to meet you," Riku said with a charming grin attached.

Yuffie paced around Riku. "Is this the boyfriend you keep hiding from us?"

Instantly Jasmine's face turned white. "Of course—"

Riku made his way over to Jasmine and covered her mouth. "Yes I am. It's a pleasure to finally meet her family."

At Riku's comment, Jasmine immediately bit down on Riku's gloved hand. Surprisingly, he didn't cry out in pain or react as he removed it. "Don't listen to this idiot!"

"Jasmine," Riku snickered, "are you embarrassed of me?"

Jasmine growled. "Get out of my house!"

In the blink of an eye, Zack had stolen Riku away and the pair were standing in the living room. Yuffie wrapped an arm around and dragged her into the hall. "Okay Jasmine, now _spill_," the tiny woman demanded. "Why haven't you brought him around us yet? You know good and well that Zack and I have been dying to meet your boyfriend."

"Yuffie," Jasmine moaned. 'She's jumping to conclusions again.'

"I mean, c'mon! The way you were hiding him it was like he was some kind of grungy, crazy thug," Yuffie continued on, waving her arms wildly.

"Yuffie…"

"I mean look at him! He's tall, good looking," Yuffie wrapped an arm around Jasmine, who was fuming, "As for looks, I _totally _approve. Zack's in there now trying to see if he's worth your time and has good intentions." She then whispered, "But then again, how many boys at this age have good intentions?"

Jasmine stomped her foot and sped into the living room where Zack seemed to be analyzing Riku. "Time to go, _now._"

"Jasmine, I'm not done with—" Zack started, his eyes never leaving Riku as Jasmine dragged the latter away and up the stairs.

"He. Is. Not. My. Boyfriend!" She barked as she pulled Riku towards her bedroom and threw him inside. Once the door was locked, Riku broke out into a fit of laughter that had him doubling over. Jasmine threw her keys on the dresser. "You think this is funny, don't you?"

Riku started to tear up and had to catch his breath before speaking. "It's hilarious, actually."

Jasmine shoved Riku with about half her strength but was thoroughly shocked when he didn't budge. 'He's worse than a brick wall...'

"I really doubt you could push me like I could do you," Riku had finally regained his breath and now stood over Jasmine.

"I bet Zack could move you," she challenged, not caring how tall or how strong he was compared to her.

"He said something along those lines," Riku recalled, not even bothering to hide his smirk of satisfaction for causing Jasmine so much trouble. "He said something about SOLDIER and how he knew about a hundred ways to kill me and all that good stuff."

Now it was Jasmine's turn to one-up Riku. "Zack is in SOLDIER. Not only is he a first-class member but he was also extensively trained with melee combat. So yes, all I'd have to do is scream and I could have you wiped off the face of the earth. No questions asked, quick and clean or long and painful."

Riku's smirk faded, replaced by his usual stoic expression. "I'm not shocked. The dude looks like he could snap a person in half."

"Exactly," Jasmine kicked off her shoes and collapsed in her chair while Riku took off his shoes as well.

"So, did you do it yet?" Riku asked while taking a seat on the edge of Jasmine's bed.

Knowing exactly what Riku was talking about, she agreed solemnly. "Surprisingly it was a lot cleaner than I thought. Roxas didn't freak out."

"That's because he saw it coming," he shrugged off his jacket and leaned against the headboard. "I'd be shocked if he didn't."

"I still feel bad though," she removed her glasses. "Part of why I blew up at him was all because of Larxene."

Riku laid flat on his back and turned on his side. "What did she do to you?"

Jasmine tensed up. She'd never told anyone the whole story as to why she flipped out so badly. "Larxene, Alex—"

"My ex?"

"Yup. And Ienzo came to the restaurant and I had to serve them." Jasmine shuddered. "It was pretty bad."

Riku's eyes narrowed. "What did Ienzo do to you?"

"It wasn't him, it was Larxene and Alex," Jasmine replied, noticing how heavy the room became when Riku asked about Ienzo. "Basically, they came at me with the whole issue of why I was with Roxas." She spun around in her chair to face him. "A lot of people think that the only reason I was with him was because I was screwing him and he was paying me. So yeah, now I've got the rep that I'm a prostitute."

"Excuse me?" Riku's eyes hardened. "Where would they get that idea?"

Suddenly, Jasmine felt self-conscious. There were many times in the relationship where she would wonder why Roxas had been with her in the first place. He'd taken her out to meet his family and other friends. While she and his family got along, his friends with their high society dates would often turn up their noses at her and ignore her. Roxas could have any single one of those girls with the grace, class, looks and money that she'd probably never have in her lifetime. At one point in time she could see why a lot of people came to the conclusion that she was sleeping with Roxas. She just tried to not think about it.

"C'mon Faye, I see the look on your face," Riku said quietly. He reached forward and pulled her chair over to him. "Listen to me: Larxene and Alex are jealous of you."

"How do you figure that?"

"Alex didn't like the fact that I hung out with Kairi or any other girl as often as I did, and Larxene will hate you because you're everything she isn't. That's why."

"I don't know what exactly what you mean but I'll take that as a complement for now," Jasmine smiled slightly but the frustration was still clear in her face.

Riku tapped her knee lightly. "You should. But otherwise, you're fine with the whole thing?"

"Yeah pretty much. I told him we should just be friends and that maybe in the future something could possibly happen but for now, it's not gonna happen."

"Well all I can say is do whatever makes you comfortable and don't worry about anything else, okay?" He advised her softly. "As long as you're happy, nothing else should matter."

Jasmine felt her heart flutter when her eyes met Riku's. They were so clear and flawless like the ocean waters surrounding the Destiny Islands. Inside the school grounds, his eyes were always a little harder, always a little sharper except for when he was dealing with Sora and Kairi. But in moments like this, when they were pure, Jasmine couldn't help but feel at peace with everything. It was as if all her worries, fears and pain just faded away.

"By the way, what do you enjoy doing that makes you happy?" Riku asked honestly.

Jasmine stood up and cleared off her desk while she spoke. "That's a random question."

"Not really," he argued, looking over his shoulder to watch her while she worked. "We were talking about happiness."

"That's true…" she thought out loud as she threw her pens in her cup holder on the desk.

"So, what it is? You always make this big deal about what the rest of us do, but you never tell us about what you enjoy."

Jasmine shook her head childishly. "I can do pretty much anything and try to have fun." And then very quietly she admitted, "But I do like to sing."

"You sing?" Riku once again laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"I enjoy it if that's what you mean," Jasmine pushed the drawer closed.

"I've never heard you sing before."

Jasmine noticed that Riku was wearing the scarf she let him borrow and rolled her eyes. "That's because I don't broadcast it."

Riku could feel his eyelids become heavier and heavier but didn't try to fight it. "I want you to sing for me."

Jasmine laughed. "Not a chance."

"Oh why not?" he whined.

"Because I said so," she told him. "And you still have my scarf."

Riku looked down at the scarf and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I do."

Jasmine put her hands on her hips. "So then that means you're gonna keep it?"

With a heavy sigh, Riku reached into his jacket and tossed Jasmine a long, rectangular white box with a bright, purple ribbon on it. "I saw this when I was on vacation. It looked like something you would like."

A dark eyebrow shot up in suspicion. "Is there like, a bomb in here?"

"No stupid," he chuckled, earning a sharp glare from Jasmine. "I'm in the room too. If anything I would just stick it in your mailbox and then run away."

"I hate you so much."

Riku rolled on his side, his back facing Jasmine. "Just open the box."

Jasmine slid off the intricately tied purple bow slowly. Part of it was because she wanted to keep the bow because it was so pretty and the other reason was because she was afraid of what was inside it. Her hand shook as she lifted up the lid but before she could see what was inside slapped the lid back down and handed the box back to Riku.

"No, I can't accept it," she said firmly, holding it out for him.

Riku grunted. "I don't think you understand how angry I'll be if you don't take that. It'll be an insult if you try to hand it back, especially before you open it."

"But…" Jasmine argued weakly.

"Open it," Riku said with a slight sternness.

Deciding right then and there that it was just better to open the box than invoke Riku's wrath, Jasmine did just that. She almost dropped the box to the floor when she saw what was inside and gasped.

Inside of the box was a pair of gorgeous, large, white gold hoops with purple and white diamonds all along them. Then the other object in the box was a necklace, also in white gold, with a large, beautiful, intricately crafted key and a large, purple diamond sitting dead center of everything. Jasmine lifted the necklace out of the box, not even bothering to try and close her mouth.

"R-Riku…w-what?"

"I wanted to thank you for helping me with Sora and Kairi," he replied nonchalantly. "Don't worry. I don't want anything in return. Just a thanks is perfect."

Jasmine admired the necklace and held it up to the light. "I can't believe you did this," she whispered. "I don't deserve this at all."

"It's not an option," Riku said finally, yawning loudly. 'Her bed is so comfortable,' he thought while curling into it. He buried his face into the pillow and breathed in a soft, rose scent. 'It smells just like her.'

With a heavy breath, Jasmine set the necklace back down. She felt extremely uncomfortable taking such an expensive gift from him, or anyone for that matter. "Fine, Riku. I don't feel like arguing right now. It's been a long—"

When she turned around, she saw that Riku had dozed off on her bed, sleeping soundly.

"This jerk—", she started. But Jasmine stopped herself once she got a good look at his face. In his peaceful state, she could not deny how _angelic_ Riku appeared when he was asleep.

She set the gifts back down in the box and stood over him. 'He's always been attractive, but now he just looks so…' Jasmine couldn't find the words to finish off her thoughts. The way his chest rose and fell with every breath he took, the calmness in his face, the way his hair fell over his eyes took her breath away.

Before Jasmine knew it, she used the back of her hand to brush his silky soft silver hair out of his face. Once her skin touched his, Jasmine pulled her hand back quickly as if it burned. She stepped back. The heat from the skin contact was more than bizarre and it sent her heart rate through the roof.

'That was freaky…' Jasmine looked at her hand, to Riku, and back to her hand. As soon as her heart returned to its normal steady beat, she headed for the door and flipped off the light switch. She shut the door as quietly as she could before walking down the hall and joining her family.

'He never ceases to amaze me.'


	27. Chapter 27: Catch

**Author's Note: **Hey Hey :) looks like I had some free time so I thought it would be best spent on a new chapter! I'd like to thank everyone for the constant support on this and all my other stories. You all make writing a lot more fun. I want to thank my reviewers **Frooky90, Clumsy Clouds, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu **and **animechick247 **and all those who faved and alerted it.

I'm going to bring back some older characters. Leave a review and tell me what you think! Take care!

-Skye

* * *

"So you're telling me the truth?" Yuffie asked for the second time, a week after Jasmine and Riku came back from grocery shopping. "That silver-haired hottie isn't your boyfriend?"

Jasmine, who was busy in the kitchen cleaning off the countertops groaned. "I promise, Yuffie. He wasn't my boyfriend. He was some guy I know from school who pisses me off on a regular basis." She tossed aside her apron and leaned against the stove. "End of story."

Yuffie, who was popping tiny chocolates into her mouth, skipped to the living room and stole the remote control away from Zack and jumped into an armchair. "I don't know, Jasmine. From the way he was staring you down, I'd say otherwise. I'm hurt," she pouted, kicking her legs up like a child. "You have a secret lover and won't spill any details."

Jasmine's head met the stovetop while Zack's eyes bugged out of his head. "_Lover_?_"_

'Oh god,' Jasmine could feel a talk coming on. 'Now she's done it.'

"Jasmine is a little too young to have a lover, don't you think Tifa?" He waved to the dark-haired restaurant owner who sat on the couch, reading a book.

Tifa lowered the book. "A lover can be a lot of things, Zack."

The blue eyed SOLDIER moaned. "I _mean_, the kind you go to bed with."

"Well, technically," Jasmine said, wiping off her glasses with the front of her shirt, "you can sleep _next _to someone and not have sex with them."

Zack rose to his feet and pointed a finger accusingly at Jasmine. "Young lady," he said in his fatherly voice, "you are not to sleep in bed or with any boy till you're married."

Yuffie broke out into a fit of contagious laughter that filled the room, infecting Tifa and Aerith. "Calm down, Dad! It's not that serious."

His arm flopped to his side. "That's my little girl," he whimpered.

"Can we not do the whole growing up speech? It's been a long morning," Jasmine asked politely. She peeked through the kitchen and saw Aerith comforting a distraught Zack.

"She's getting older," he said, choking back a tear, "I remember when she only reached my knee."

While Zack collected himself, Jasmine felt her phone vibrate in the pocket of her jeans. She mindlessly answered it without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Faye, it's been so long."

Instantly, Jasmine became stiff. She distanced herself away from the group and stood in the back of the hallway. "Hello, Father. How are you?" she greeted politely, but flatly.

"Quite well actually," Mr. Silva replied.

There seemed to be a smile in his voice, something Jasmine hadn't heard in quite a while.

"It's winter break," he continued. "You must be quite tired from all your studying and such."

She leaned against the wall and lowered her voice. "I'm not bothered by all the work."

"That's a good girl," he cleared his throat. "I want you to go to the door. There is a package for you on the porch."

Slightly surprised for this, she kept her cool. "Really now?" Jasmine went to the door and sure enough, when she opened it, there was a box on the ground. "Might I ask as to what this is for?"

"You are to accompany me with your mother to dinner tonight," her father said. It wasn't a question. It was another one of his hard statements. She could hear it in his voice. If she didn't go, there would be some sort of consequence. "I bought you a new dress and shoes."

'Oh lovely,' she thought sarcastically. This was the night when all of Tifa's friends, including Cloud, were to come over for dinner.

"I expect you'll be ready at 2 o'clock," Mr. Silva told her. "The car will be waiting. Don't be late."

Before Jasmine could protest, the line went dead. 'I can't believe he still thinks I can just come at his beck and call like an animal.' Jasmine picked up the box and carried it inside.

Aerith looked over her shoulder. "What is that, Jasmine?"

"My father sent me something," she replied blandly, setting the package on the dining room table and taking out her house keys. She sliced the tape and opened up the box, removing all the paper that stuffed it. Sitting right on top was the shoe box with something covering what she thought was the dress.

Jasmine threw off the lid for the shoe box and her eyes widened. Inside was a pair of scarlet, five-inch stiletto heels with gold straps around the ankle and actual foot. While she couldn't deny that the shoes were pretty, they were definitely another confusing fashion pick from her father.

She then tossed aside the box and pulled out an equally mature dress to match the shoes. It was a scarlet, fitted, Chinese styled dress with a mandarin collar and long sleeves with rich gold embroidery. There were slits along the sides. They weren't high, but skin could definitely be shown.

Yuffie whistled and popped up next to Jasmine. "Wow! If that's not a sexy number, I don't know what is!"

Jasmine looked at her watch. It was almost half past one in the afternoon. 'It figures he'd think that he could summon me at any given time.' She grabbed the dress and her shoes. "I have to get ready. My father wants me to come to dinner with him."

Tifa's eyes widened with confusion. "Right now?"

"Yup," Jasmine headed for the stairs. "That inconsiderate jerk thinks that I can just drop any and all plans I may have."

Aerith rose to her feet with Tifa and watched Jasmine disappear onto the second floor.

"I really can't stand him," Yuffie said darkly. "He's never really been a part of Jasmine's life and he treats her like crap."

"Even though it's Jasmine's father," Zack added, eyes focused on the television, "I have to agree with Yuffie. Her mother isn't much better."

Tifa sighed. "Sofia wasn't always this bad. It's just that she's lost sight of what really matters. But I can only do and say so much. We just have to let Jasmine handle the situation as she normally does and be there for her when she needs it. You all know we're her family. That's what families do."

"I hate feeling so helpless though," Yuffie unwrapped another piece of candy.

"Trust me, Jasmine is clever. She can handle anything her father can throw at her. We just have to be patient and let things unfold," Tifa advised. "Wait, you'll see."

* * *

Jasmine wasn't surprised to see Reno, Rude or Elena when they came to pick her up. But two things were different. One: they came in a sleek, black limousine. Two: Vanitas was outside waiting for her as well.

'Oh great,' Jasmine groaned. 'Father probably got extra people to make sure I didn't run off.'

"It's wonderful to see you again," Vanitas greeted politely as he helped Jasmine into the backseat of the limousine.

Only when they were safely inside the limo and began their drive, did Jasmine reply. "This is a surprise. I didn't expect to see you here."

Vanitas waited until Elena rolled up the screen to isolate himself and Jasmine in the backseat. While she sat on one side, he sat on the other. "Your father asked me to escort you. Is that a problem?"

Jasmine shrugged her shoulder and wrapped her arms tightly around her body. "That's not a problem," she said coolly, "did my father think I couldn't find my way to the restaurant?"

Vanitas laughed. "No, not exactly." He then stared long and hard at Jasmine. "You look amazing by the way."

She didn't say anything, but she nodded her head in thanks. Jasmine could feel the heaviness in the air but refused to let her discomfort show, especially not around Vanitas. 'It feels like every time he's near, I have to be on my guard.'

"How long are you on winter vacation?" He asked politely.

"Until mid-January," The response came out almost immediately after he asked the question. "Shouldn't you be in class or something? Aren't you a university student?"

"I am," Vanitas said, brushing off the shoulder of his steel gray suit. "But I'm a graduate student and fortunately I don't have class today. I'm far ahead of where I need to be in terms of classes. I graduated from college in two years and have been working on my masters."

"Congratulation," Jasmine tried to hide the dryness in her voice. It was becoming clearer that Vanitas didn't just get to where he was because of his family. Although from the suit he wore and the watch on his wrist she could see that he came from money. But he had the intelligence to back it up. She narrowed her eyes. 'He's definitely someone I need to be careful of.'

She shifted in her seat. "So you're at least twenty-two?"

"I _am _twenty two."

Jasmine crossed her legs and looked out the window. "Hmm, well I know that I'm pretty good at guessing a person's age."

"So, what do you do outside of school?"

'I wish he'd just shut up and leave me alone,' Jasmine thought crossly. She was already irritated with being summoned, but to be put in the car with Vanitas, someone she'd hope to never end up in a dark alley with, was definitely pushing it. Still, Jasmine didn't want to hear her father's mouth later about how she treated Vanitas so she sucked it up and put on a good show.

"Well, when I'm not studying for about half of my day, I sleep because other than that, there's nothing else I can do. I work, that's it for now."

Vanitas smirked. "That's depressing. A girl like you should be out and about. Not cooped up in some room all day working."

"Like I said at dinner, I do all that I do so that way I can take care of myself. I've been fine all these years so I'd say that I'm doing quite well."

Vanitas made sure that the screen was up and that no one could hear. "That's bizarre. I don't understand why you don't have friends."

"I have friends, but they have their own lives, I have mine."

"Any secret boyfriends I should know about?"

She could practically feel his eyes piercing through her. "There are none, but," she said without bothering to hide the icy edge, "if there was one, telling you would blow the secret. What would that matter to you anyway?"

The limousine came to a slow stop. "I'm just trying to figure you out, that's all."

'And I'll make sure that he never finds out a thing.'

* * *

This dinner seemed to last longer than all of Jasmine's midterms combined. Seated at the table were all her most disliked people (save for Larxene and Alex). Her mother and father sat across from her and Vanitas at the table in a secluded part of the restaurant. She might have enjoyed the food and ocean scenery had it have not been for the fact that she was there with the ones who caused her the most grief. Even so, Jasmine held it all together. She was very good at hiding her emotions and now it came in handy.

Jasmine slipped a piece of grilled chicken into her mouth. 'I should be in drama or something.'

"Well," Sofia began, "I hope to get an invitation for your graduation. At the rate you're headed, you'll be running countries."

Vanitas, whose charm seemed to work on everyone _but _Jasmine, smiled. "Thank you, Sofia. I'll keep you in mind. Jasmine, I'd like it if you came."

"Depends on the day," she replied flatly. "Considering the fact that university students get out earlier than high school students, I'm not sure it'll happen."

Sofia glared at Jasmine while her father looked past her. "It doesn't matter, she'll be there."

'Damn, he'll go to some random kid's graduation, but he won't be there for me? This is pretty crappy,' Jasmine tried to hide her obvious irritation by downing the rest of her ice tea but it wasn't working. 'At this rate, I'll end up walking out of the restaurant.'

"It's a big deal. I remember when I graduated. It was the proudest moment of my life," Mr. Silva went on. "I can't wait until Faye graduates from college. She's such a wonderful daughter."

Jasmine almost choked on her water. 'I don't know who's more full of crap. My father or mother…'

Vanitas looked up and the pianist was playing a slow song. He stood up and held out his hand to Jasmine. "Would you like to dance?"

'Hell no, I would not like to dance,' was her first reaction, but she didn't feel like dealing with their mouths later. Without a word, she took Vanitas' hand and he led her to the dimly lit dance floor.

Once there, Vanitas held her at a respectable distance but close enough to where he could whisper in her ear. "You seem a little highly strung."

Jasmine rolled her eyes but did not let him see. "It's been a long day, honestly." She wasn't going to let him know that day became as painful as it was because she had to entertain her parents though.

"It's like your mind is in another place," he continued on.

She chuckled, "Don't you think someone like me has a lot on her mind?"

"I believe so, especially because you're so quiet. I can imagine all that you're going through," he pulled her closer, not to where it was dangerous, but definitely close enough for Jasmine to feel his cool breath on her cheek, "the genius student who is constantly working to bring herself up in the world. You've got parents who have extremely high expectations of you and you're worried about living up to them."

Jasmine tensed up. 'How much has my father told him about me?'

"Am I correct?"

Composing herself, Jasmine then whispered in his ear. "For the record, I am not worried about the expectations of my parents. I have my own plans. I'm succeeding because I want to, not because they tell me to. This is my life. Understood?"

Vanitas snickered. "Like I said, you definitely have some bark."

"And the bite is worse, so watch it," Jasmine warned him. Once the music stopped, they pulled away from each other. Jasmine's eyes were harsh and severe while Vanitas' had a sly, dangerous tint to them. There was something extremely dark about the way he stared at her, as if he had a secret or knew some information that he could use against her.

"Fair enough," Vanitas placed his hand on her back and led her back to the table. "I'll make sure I keep that in mind." All the while, that stare never left his eyes.

When they reached the table, it would seem as though Jasmine's parents were finishing up a conversation. Once Jasmine and Vanitas were seated, the Silva's smiled.

"Faye," her father began, smiling brightly, "we received a copy of your grades for this term and your mother and I are quite pleased with you."

'Oh crap, they're gonna surprise me with something,' Jasmine fretted.

"So," Sofia pulled out a small white box and set it in front of the table in front of Jasmine, "we just wanted to give you your Christmas present early."

Reluctantly, Jasmine took the box and set it in front of her, not attempting to open it.

Then, Vanitas took Jasmine's hand. It took all she had from snapping at him to not touch her. "Go ahead, it's a pleasant surprise." He placed it on the lid and released her hand.

Wordlessly, Jasmine opened the box and there, sitting inside of it was a key with a bright pink bow tied to it. Her eyes widened in shock. "Are you serious?"

Sofia smiled. "Yes we are. We figured you'd like to start being more independent and with everything going as well as it is, your father and I thought, "Why not?" and that was it."

"Oh my goodness," she breathed, holding the car keys out in front of her. And then she snapped back to reality. "What's the catch here?"

Both her parents laughed. Sofia replied, "there's no catch, just keep up the good work. Things have been a lot better between us all so we just wanted to reward you."

'Better?' Jasmine scoffed. 'I moved out of the house to get away from you people, I don't call, you treat me like I'm an object that can be controlled…oh yes, things are _awesome_ between us all. There's gotta be more to this than what they're telling me.'

* * *

"So, are you going to tell your parents about the part in Demyx's music video?" Tifa asked as she watched Jasmine get ready to drive off to the filming location.

Jasmine pulled a hoodie over her. It was actually very chilly outside. Mostly because it was three in the morning, but she knew she'd be going over to the beach for photos and filming so bringing along a sweater would be the smart thing to do. Jasmine had been at rehearsal for the past week. She'd learned all the lyrics, what she was supposed to be doing and the dance moves (which had been a great deal more than what she imagined). Today was supposed to be the filming in full hair, make-up and wardrobe. Unlike many of the other extras in the video, almost all of her shots were with Demyx so it was very likely that she wouldn't be home until very late.

"I don't see why I have to. You're my legal guardian and for the most part, I don't really want them knowing. If they were interested in my life, they could ask questions." Jasmine threw her tote bag over her shoulders and grabbed her car keys.

As she left, Tifa followed behind. "The car is nice. Tell me again, what was the catch?"

"I just have to come to a few more business dinners with my father and the car is mine for keeps. There's something else to this but I don't care."

"It's a nice car. It's one of the newer Mazda's. I love the color."

"That copper red is nice," she said distantly as she threw her phone in her tote.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come today?" Tifa tightened the sash on her bathrobe.

Jasmine shook her head. "You have work. Besides its super busy considering that Christmas is in four days."

Tifa sighed. "It wouldn't kill me to miss a day of work."

"But you've never missed work," Jasmine argued. "Except for the time when Yuffie tried to cook dumplings and you ended up sick."

Tifa shuddered. "That's why I don't let her in the kitchen anymore."

Jasmine rubbed her eyes cautiously. Victoria told her to wear her contacts today so she had to be careful not to scratch her eyes. She didn't want to get the redhead angry. Her fights with Demyx were frightening enough to watch from the sidelines. "Well anyway I'm off. If anyone should call me, tell them I just went out for a while."

"Do they know you're in the video?"

Jasmine shook her head. "I didn't want to make a fuss about it."

Tifa held open the door for Jasmine. "I'm sure they'll find out anyway. He's a huge celebrity. Once that video hits the internet, it'll be known."

"And I'll deal with the consequences later," Jasmine finished. Before she left, she gave Tifa a big hug and headed for her car. 'This is gonna be an adventure.'

* * *

The second Jasmine set foot on the boat that was to take them to her destination, Angela and Victoria yanked pulled her into a room on deck.

"I'm so glad you could make it," Angela told Jasmine, holding her hands and leading her down the hall. "It's so early in the morning, most of our younger clients don't wake up until six."

Victoria groaned. "Demyx is still knocked out."

Jasmine laughed while Angela smiled. "But then again, he's a man. They don't have to go through all the work we women would have to go through to look good."

Jasmine agreed. Their group already had this conversation. All the guy would have to do is take a shower, style their hair and put on a suit to look good for an event. For girls, it's a whole different story.

Victoria took off to take care of Demyx while Angela stayed with Jasmine, who seemed a bit more than nervous as soon as she stepped into her dressing room. There were a dozen outfits lined up against the wall and a team of hair and make-up artists assembled in the back, anxiously waiting for the main girl. Jasmine swallowed hard and tried to steady her shaking hands. Suddenly, she wished she would have stayed in bed and slept for the next two days.

Angela noticed this and put her hands on Jasmine's shoulders. "Don't worry about a thing. It'll be fabulous. I watched you at rehearsals. You know what you're supposed to do and you know all the dance moves. You're fine. The only thing you need to do now is relax." She led Jasmine to the make-up chair and took the hair pin out of Jasmine's bun, letting all her hair fall to her elbows. "Consider this pampering. Got it?" she flashed a smile worth a million dollars.

"Okay, thank you." Although Angela's smile was reassuring, Jasmine couldn't settle the butterflies in her stomach.

"You really should. We won't hit that island for another two hours."

Jasmine's eye twitched. 'Two hours? It's a good thing I don't get sea sick.'

* * *

For the trip out to the island, Angela went over the schedule for the day while the artists worked on Jasmine's hair. Angela flipped through a notebook, then turned to Jasmine.

"I hope you don't mind, we're giving you extremely loose curls and long side-swept bangs for the video. We want to be able to do anything to dramatize your eyes."

Jasmine, who had her eyes closed for the majority of the makeover, replied, "That's fine. I've been wanting to cut them again."

A manicurist grabbed Jasmine's hand and spread a flashy, metallic shade of gray on her long nails. "This will be temporary," the man told Jasmine. "We have to change your look six times today."

"Six?"

Angela scribbled down some notes. "You knew this, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Jasmine said. Then she bashfully replied. "I guess it wasn't going to set in until I actually got here."

"Trust me, Jasmine. When this is all over, we'll have half the entertainment industry trying to book you for jobs. By the way, did you ever look at the bottom line payment?"

"No," Jasmine answered, listening to the stylist working on her bangs. "Tifa, my guardian, looked at it."

Angela laughed heartily. "Well, I don't want you to freak out and accidentally end up losing unnecessary hair."

"Now I'm scared," Jasmine mumbled.

"Don't be. In fact, I'll think you'll be presently surprised."

When the boat came to a stop, it was almost sunrise and Jasmine could tell that the make-up artist was almost done. All she had to do, as Angela told her, was to slip into the outfit that was picked out for her and head out onto the beach for some individual photos.

Angela held out a white bikini for Jasmine to wear and the junior blushed. "Are you sure I should be wearing that?"

The dirty blond appeared confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," her blush only deepened, "are you sure I can pull off—?"

Angela laughed, startling Jasmine indefinitely. "Are you joking? You have a nice body. Besides, you'll have a semi-sheer tunic over you with a long sash. It's almost like a dress over this. But definitely shorter. You don't see it now because," she chuckled, "number one you refused to look at yourself in the mirror and because you're not fully dressed, but you look so beautiful right now."

"I just hope that it doesn't make me look too…old."

"That's the thing about you Jasmine, depending on how we make you up, you can be almost any age but youthful at the same time. At this point, you look about nineteen like Demyx so I doubt anyone will question you."

"I just never thought this kind of thing would ever happen to me," Jasmine admitted, standing still as a stylist slipped a pair of gold, feather earrings into her ears.

"That's the thing about life," Angela handed Jasmine the bathing suit, "it always takes you for a trip. When good things happen, hold fast to that because in this world, so much bad comes about. You never know where you'll end up. For everything that's good, just run with it, okay?"

Hearing those words from Angela gave Jasmine courage she didn't think she could muster.

"Another thing to think about, since so many people will be seeing this, try to think about the people you care about most who you want to make proud. I'm sure you'll do fine, but don't hold anything back."

'That's true,' Jasmine brushed a strand of hair from her eyes, 'I want to make my family proud. Tifa, Yuffie, Aerith, Zack, even Cloud. Then my friends…' She could picture all their faces clearly. They all had talent. She wanted them to look at her with pride. Even Riku…

"I'll do my best," she told Angela determinedly. Jasmine then took off towards the back with two stylists right on her tail.

Victoria entered the room and found her way to Angela. "You sure are taking a risk on this one."

"I know. But then again, I always take risks. You know this. There's something special about this girl, I know it."

Victoria laughed. "If you believe it, then I'll jump on the bandwagon. You haven't been wrong yet."

"And I plan to keep it that way."


	28. Chapter 28: Hang Up

**Author's Note :**Hello all! I hope you guys have been well. Chapter 28 is now up :)

I wanna thank all those readers, those who fave and alert plus my reviewers: **Tiryn, Frooky90, Kanika Meskhenet, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Clumsy Clouds **and **animechick247.** I know you're all tired of me saying this but you're so helpful and each fave, review or hit just makes me smile. Enjoy the next chapter!

-Skye

* * *

Jasmine collapsed on her bed after the second and final day of shooting. She didn't even bother taking off all the make-up she had to wear for the final photo shoot.

'My body aches. Dancing, acting and posing for hours at a time is rough,' she sighed heavily and looked at the boxes she walked in with. Demyx and Angela had been so pleased with her that they'd allowed her to have two pairs of shoes from the shoot, a tunic, and several pieces of jewelry. From what Angela said, Jasmine must have walked out with _at least_ five thousand dollars worth of merchandise.

She closed her eyes and recalled the photo shoot like it was a dream.

_Flashback_

"_Demyx is super impatient," Victoria grumbled while the people from the wardrobe department put together Jasmine's final outfit. It was a white, strapless, one piece (that Jasmine commented on looked more like a bathing suit than anything). After Jasmine had the suit on, the angel wings were supposed to be hooked on afterward and the rest of her jewelry was to follow afterwards. Right now she was finishing up in make-up while an assistant searched for both pairs of shoes. _

"_Well, he's excited," Angela told her partner. "He's still only nineteen."_

_Victoria typed away on her phone. "Demyx is so childish at times. But he's an amazing writer, musician and singer. I guess I can overlook his immaturity a bit."_

_Angela smiled. "You always were the harsher one out of the two of us."_

_Jasmine was waiting patiently as the wings were being attached to her back. She had to admit that all this was exciting even if her entire body screamed with fatigue. While she sat, someone strapped on a pair of gold, gladiator sandals while the hair stylist ran his hands through her wavy, loose hair. "Are we finishing off with the photo shoot?"_

"_Yes," Angela replied, "we're trying to get some shots in the sunset. It'll look amazing."_

"_All done," the woman who hooked the wings onto Jasmine's back replied. "They're not too big, just enough to fit your body, but they will be a bit heavy."_

_Jasmine smiled. "Okay, thanks for letting me know."_

"_I have to tell you," Victoria said, "you look amazing."_

"_Take the complement," Angela advised. "She rarely gives them."_

_The ebony-haired girl laughed. "Thank you."_

"_Alright," Angela clapped her hands together. "Let's wrap this up. Time to head out!"_

_End of Flashback_

The knocking on her door snapped Jasmine out of her daydream. "Who is it?" she asked, her voice muffled by her comforter.

"It's Roxas," a voice called from the other side of the door.

'Oh snap,' Jasmine bolted up and ran to the mirror. All her make-up was perfectly intact and the gifts from the shoot were lying in the middle of the floor. 'I don't want him to know about this. Think, think think…'

She suddenly figured out a good enough excuse and sat on her bed. "You can come in!"

Roxas smiled as he stepped into the room. "Hey, how are you?" He extended his arms for a hug and Jasmine returned it, squeezing him while silently hoping that he wouldn't notice her face.

"I'm good, just a bit sleepy," she replied, faking a yawn.

He took a seat on the end of her bed. "Maybe you should get some more rest Sleeping Beauty," he teased.

Jasmine plopped down on her side facing away from him. "Perhaps I should."

"Hold up," Roxas gently grabbed her arm and turned her over on her back. His eyes widened at the sight of her. This was the first time he'd actually seen her hair down since Halloween and that was before it had grown out to her elbows. Plus she had a dark, black and gray smoky eye and nude lipstick. Roxas couldn't deny that she looked flawless and angelic. He was really starting to feel a pain in his chest. 'I wish we were still together,' he thought sadly before asking, "Did you get a makeover or something?"

"Yes," she lied, "Yuffie is tired of me dressing like a tomboy." Jasmine pointed to the boxes in the floor. "They even made me go shopping. It feels so unnatural." _Technically, _Jasmine wasn't lying. Yuffie had been begging for Jasmine to go to the mall and get a makeover for the past few years. And Tifa did make her go shopping. It was just all the timing that was off.

"I'm not gonna lie," Roxas turned away from Jasmine, his face red from embarrassment, "you look amazing. I-I mean," he quickly corrected himself, "you always look good I j-just…"

Jasmine laughed and put a hand on his shoulder. "Chill out. It's fine. Thank you for the complement. I'm gonna wash this crap off my face though before I go to sleep." She reached for a hair tie and wrapped her hair in a messy bun. "I'm gonna cut this before school starts."

"How short?" Roxas inquired.

"Above my shoulders," Jasmine replied.

Roxas jumped to his feet. "Don't do it! I love your hair."

Jasmine shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "It's a hassle. The _only _reason why I don't cut it now is because I don't want to hear anything from my parents. But as soon as I get the chance," she put index and middle finger into a "V" and pretended like they were scissors, "off it goes. Usually I donate my hair anyway."

"You donate hair?" He asked quizzically.

"Yeah, I mean, when school started my hair was at my shoulders and now it's at my elbows. I can always grow my hair back. It's not an issue. But think about it, there are a lot of people who can't really grow their own so why not donate mine? Besides, it's not like I dye it or anything. Someone who had cancer or something can use it."

"I never knew you could do that," Roxas thought out loud.

Jasmine nodded. She then asked, "what are you doing here anyway? Are you bored?"

Roxas stiffened. 'I really wanted to see you.' He replied, "I was just passing by."

"Oh, well it's nice to see you," she told him whilst rubbing her eyes but being careful of the make-up.

"We just haven't talked in a while so…" Roxas blushed. He thought that this would go a lot more smoothly.

Sensing the discomfort in the room, Jasmine broke down. "Would you like to stay for a while and watch a movie?"

Almost too eagerly, Roxas said, "Sure!"

'I'm tired, but I'm not gonna give Roxas a hard time,' she reasoned. "That's fine then. You can stay as long as you want."

Roxas kicked off her shoes and scooted back to the headboard where he relaxed. "It's nice being on vacation. There's virtually no work or responsibilities or anything."

Jasmine wished she could say the same. Already, she purchased her books for the next semester and had begun studying. Plus, with her music video project, Jasmine had been wrapped up and as busy as ever if not more busy.

"Maybe for you, but people like me have to study and work," she told him while he flipped through the channels on television.

Roxas eventually came to a music video station and a Demyx song came on. "This dude is lucky. He always has the hottest girls in his videos."

She laughed nervously. "I haven't really seen too many of his vids but I guess they're okay…"

"Those girls are hot. But I wonder if they actually get involved with him. I hear a lot of stories where the extras and the stars end up together…or at least hook up," Roxas chuckled and went on to watching the music video, totally unaware of Jasmine's discomfort and obvious embarrassment.

_Flashback_

_Jasmine walked out onto the beach, freezing beyond all belief. It was a nice day outside earlier on. But now the sun was setting and she was wearing a bathing suit in the high, island winds. _

'_This was not a good idea,' Jasmine held onto Angela's hand as she her to the spot where she and Demyx were to take some photos for the alternate album cover. _

"_I know you're probably suffering," Angela seemed to be able to read Jasmine's thoughts, "but you look gorgeous. This shouldn't take too long."_

_Jasmine spotted Demyx talking to several members of the crew. She was a little uneasy about taking romantic photos with him. The video had gone extremely well though and all the acting seemed to come natural. But a picture can really show the connection between the two people and if it's not done correctly, it'll show all in her face that Jasmine has no romantic ties to Demyx. _

_Demyx spotted Jasmine and his jaw dropped. He wore a fitted black suit and a white dress shirt and a loose tie. Jasmine had to admit that he was attractive and it was easy to see how he had such a large female fan-base. _

_Angela handed Jasmine off to Demyx. "Is she what you were hoping for?"_

_Demyx grinned and held tightly onto Jasmine's hand to steady her in the sand. "You were right as usual, Angela. She looks amazing. I'm so ready to wrap this up!"_

_A gust of wind hit Jasmine's bare legs. 'Me too…'_

"_Let's go."_

_Demyx led Jasmine off to the shore, the crew following far back behind them. "Are you sure you don't have a boyfriend? I can't see why you wouldn't, if I'm not being too forward," he asked casually._

_Surprisingly, Jasmine felt relatively at ease with Demyx. When they'd had a lot of time to rehearse and during filming, he was so easy to talk to and get along with. Beneath the craziness and madness he displayed in his music and with Victoria, he was a really calm person. _

"_I'm so positive I don't have a boyfriend," she said softly. "I actually broke up with him not too long ago. It was complicated."_

_Demyx pursed his lips. "How so?"_

"_In a nutshell, he didn't know me that well and I wasn't in the right place for a relationship in the first place. I knew a lot more about him than he knew about me and it just felt wrong. We're still friends and I told him that in the future if something should happen, I won't push him away." Jasmine was a little shocked at how all that information just flew out of her mouth so easily. _

_The blond musician laughed. "Don't look so flustered." They reached the spot where the majority of the shots were to take place. "We all go through ups and downs in relationships. I had a lot of really bad ones but I channeled all that into my music and bingo! I've got a couple of top ten hits."_

_A hair stylist came to fix Jasmine's windblown hair. "It's good that you have an outlet to channel all that into. I'm usually stuck in my room studying until the next morning. Your music is honest and it still has that pop/rock appeal everyone asks for."_

"_What's your thing? I mean, Angela gave me a rundown on you. You're supposed to be super smart but I know there's something you really enjoy doing. Out with it," he poked Jasmine's cheek, making her laugh and swat him away._

"_Come on you two!" The photographer waved wildly. "Let's get going."_

'_Saved by the cameramen,' Jasmine exhaled deeply. _

_Demyx started off by taking several shots by himself. Jasmine had to admit that he was attractive and he looked great in front of a camera. But then again, in his profession which seemed to be partially driven by looks and beauty, he had to be good looking in a way to survive. _

_He clapped and waved Jasmine over. "It's our turn!"_

_Her stomach dropped to the sandy floor. "Coming," she called nervously._

_Demyx brought her closer to him and whispered. "Just imagine that you're out here for that one special person. It makes things a lot easier to deal with. Trust me, I know how hard it is to be romantic with someone you really don't know. Let's just have fun, okay?"_

_Jasmine smiled. She didn't have to answer to anyone, well a guy anyway. Demyx was cool and she wanted to have a bit of fun. _

"_You take the lead and I'll follow you."_

_End of Flashback_

"I'm sure there's some level of professionalism, Roxas. You can't get caught up in the hype or what the media says," she reminded him. "Not everyone falls for the rockstars."

Roxas shrugged his shoulders. "You're right," and then he quietly added, "as usual."

He watched her slip into a pair of house shoes and then slide her glasses on her face. Jasmine seemed so distant and so far away from him. Not that they hadn't always been a little distant before, but now it was even worse.

"I'm not always right," Jasmine yawned and took a seat next to Roxas on the bed with her knees pulled into her chest. 'But I am always tired.'

"You know it's true," Roxas sing-songed.

Jasmine whipped around. "I'm not going to argue with you today."

Roxas sighed. "Yes ma'am."

Within a matter of five minutes, Roxas was asleep. Jasmine attempted to slide off the bed, but when Roxas unconsciously latched onto her arm the attempt to leave the room failed. For some strange reason beyond her comprehension, it felt almost _wrong _for Roxas to be here. True they were still friends and early on and he did spend time in her room, but now it made her a little uneasy.

'This is gonna be a struggle,' she looked down at Roxas. 'I can just feel it.'

* * *

_Jasmine sat in a room almost completely enveloped in darkness. Before her was a white grand piano which served as a direct contrast with the surroundings and the area. Yet she did not question why or how she was there. The only thing she knew, was that she had to play that piano._

_Her elegant, long fingers glided over the keys as she played expertly and she found herself lost in the song, though she did not know what exactly it was. She just continued, playing the dark melody and losing herself in it. _

_As she continued to play and the music began to crescendo into the most chaotic part, the air became thick and heavy, suffocating her. A presence had made itself known in the room that much she knew for sure but Jasmine went on without missing a note, too preoccupied in playing to turn around. _

"_He's misleading you…" a mysterious voice rasped._

_Jasmine looked up, feeling as if she were locked in some sort of trance. "Who is?"_

_The voice was vaguely familiar and laced with acid. "Don't trust him."_

_Jasmine could feel a pair of hands on her shoulders, weighing them down as she played. "You haven't told me who I need to watch out for."_

_The person's hands were icy and they slid down to her elbows. His breath sprayed her bare shoulders. "He's getting closer to you with each and every passing day," the male voice rasped._

_Jasmine sensed that the song was soon to be over and dreaded every second of it. She knew that once it was done, she'd have to face the mysterious stranger and a wave of dread washed over her. Fear became an overwhelming sensation and her heart ached. _

"_Giving in will only prolong the pain," he continued. "The two of them will destroy you."_

"_Two?" her voice was faint. The song was almost at its end. "I thought I only had to worry about one."_

_The voice now became distorted as if it were two voices in one. "One will damage you and the other will destroy you." Jasmine thought for a split second she could make out the voice and that frightened her more than the initial belief that it was some menacing stranger. It might be someone she knew. The voices seemed so familiar…_

"_Heh," he chuckled. "That's for you to decide: which one will do more damage."_

_As soon as the song finished, Jasmine bolted from the piano and took off down a long, winding hall that was dimly lit with a few candles that threatened to blow out at any moment. _

"_What a pity…" Even though the person had not moved, it was as if their voice was right in Jasmine's ear._

_She ran faster and faster, sensing danger approaching._

"_You were always such a smart girl. Who knew you could come undone so easily?"_

_A crack rang through the air and Jasmine felt something pierce through her chest and out. She had been shot and the scent of her blood began to overwhelm her. Jasmine crashed to the floor face first and gasped for air. She clutched her chest and blood began to flow steadily from the wound in her chest right where her heart should be. _

_Footsteps were approaching. "I want you to look at me."_

_Suddenly, the fear of seeing who her killer was overcame the pain and she scrambled to her feet. Slowly but surely she made her way to her feet and found a set of stairs going downward. _

'_I've got to get out of here,' she thought frantically, feeling her body becoming heavier and heavier with each step. _

_Once she got to the stairs, she clung to the handrail and tried to make her way down to the bottom. But in the light, it seemed as if there were a million steps to the bottom. _

_Before Jasmine could get a good distance between herself and her attacker, the man appeared behind her and grabbed her hair. _

"_Did you really think you could run away from me?" he laughed sadistically._

_Jasmine shut her eyes and gasped for breath as he turned her to face him and snatched her throat with one hand. 'I'm gonna die. That's all there is to it.'_

_He shook her violently and pulled her close. "Get a good look at this face. You have the right to know who will be the one to bring you down."_

"_No…" Jasmine's voice was fading. _

_He smirked. With one swift moment, he pushed her over the side of the stairs where there was no banister to keep her from plummeting to the ground. _

_End of Dream Sequence_

"Jasmine! Wake up!"

The dark-haired girl gasped as she was jolted back to reality. She awoke in the dead of night with Tifa's hands on her shoulders and her heart ready to give out.

"Huh? Wha—?" Jasmine looked around the room to see if that man was anywhere near. "Where am I?"

"You're in the bedroom." Tifa sat on the bed beside Jasmine and rubbed her shoulders. "You were having a nightmare. It took forever to wake you up."

Jasmine felt the sweat dripping down her face and her hair was a wild mess. As she struggled to breath, Tifa laid her back against her pillow.

"I was afraid you were going to have a heart attack," Tifa rubbed her eyes.

"How did you hear me?" Jasmine whispered.

"You were screaming."

Jasmine sighed. "That's pretty bad." She rolled over on her side. 'I haven't had nightmares that bad since I moved out of my house.'

"Do you want to talk about it? We could have ice cream downstairs and watch TV if you'd like," Tifa offered, smiling and nodding her head towards the door.

Jasmine looked at her cell phone. It was almost four in the morning. "You have work today, Tifa. Don't worry about me, Tifa. I think I'm feeling better," she fought off the strange pain in her chest, "I think I had too much ice cream before I went to bed or something. Eating a lot of sweets makes my imagination go berserk."

Tifa sighed and kissed Jasmine on her forehead. "Whenever you want to talk about it, you know you can come to me."

"I know," Jasmine said, stifling a yawn. "Thanks for everything, Tifa."

Tifa nodded and returned back to her room, shutting Jasmine's door tightly.

With a sigh of heavy frustration, Jasmine untucked herself from under the sheets. Her body was still too hot and she needed to cool down.

She jumped when her cell phone started ringing. 'I guess I'm destined to die of a heart attack tonight,' she moaned inwardly. Without looking at the caller ID, she answered.

"Yeah?"

"Did I wake you?"

Never had Jasmine felt so relieved to hear Riku's voice. "Actually, you caught me awake this time."

"What are you doing up?" Riku asked. He sounded clear and alert.

"That's the question I should be asking you," Jasmine replied, grabbing a pillow and laying on it. "You're the one who called me."

He chuckled. "Maybe you could sing me to sleep."

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Not on your life."

"That's pretty extreme don't you think?"

"I should've never told you I sang," she murmured, "now you have a new excuse to bug me."

Riku's smile was practically audible. "I'll have you singing for me before you know it."

"Oh sure," the sarcasm dripped from each word, "don't count on that happening any time soon."

"Hm, what are you doing awake at this time?"

Jasmine had a flashback of the dream and closed her eyes. "I had a bad dream."

"About what?"

"Someone I knew was going to kill me." This sounded a lot more nonchalant than what she expected.

"If I just had a dream that someone I knew was gonna hack me up, I'd be a lot less calm," Riku said in a more serious tone.

Jasmine moaned. "It just came out like that. Tifa had to come in and wake me."

"Well what happened in the dream? Who was going to kill you?"

"That's the thing: there was this random dude, who I couldn't see and he was telling me that someone close to me was going to kill me. I never got a name. But I feel that if I saw the face, I probably would have known who it was. I guess I didn't want to see who it could be and I took off."

"Then…?"

"Then I got shot, ran down the stairs, the guy grabbed my throat and threw me over the railing. It was a falling dream."

"Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

"Riku," she said while rolling over. "It was just a dream. Don't worry about me. I'm awake."

"If it was a falling dream, then there's a chance you could've had a heart attack if you didn't wake up. It's pretty serious, Faye."

Jasmine then rolled on her back and stared at the ceiling, rubbing her chest right where her heart was located. "Thanks for caring. I promise you though, I'll be fine. But anyway, what's wrong? Why are _you _up at this hour?"

"Truthfully, I keep falling asleep then waking up. I don't know what's wrong with me tonight. Usually I sleep pretty well," he yawned loudly, "so I thought I'd bother you for a while."

"Wonderful," Jasmine groaned. "So since you're back in town, what are you doing for Christmas?"

"Probably going to my aunt's house on Christmas Eve and spending Christmas with my parents. That's what we do every year. What about you?"

Jasmine shrugged her shoulders, knowing full well that Riku could not see her. "I never really know what I'm doing. Although this year I'll be with Tifa so it's likely I'll be with Yuffie and them for Christmas Eve. As for Christmas day, I never know until the day of."

"That's cool. After New Year's, I have to get to work. Blitzball season is starting up again and we have to prepare. You should come to the games."

"Excuse me for sounding extremely ignorant, but I don't know the first thing about blitzball nor have I ever seen a game in my almost seventeen years of existence." She tried not to sound so disinterested in the game for his sake. But the only thing Jasmine knew about blitzball was that the players were under water. She was never into athletics and the fact that the girls at her school were rabid fans who practically praised the team members only added to her nonchalance of the whole thing. "I'm not much of a sports person. Plus it wasn't that big where I grew up."

"And what distant world was that?" He asked sounding astonished.

"I grew up in Twilight Town. I mean, _supposedly _they have a good team but I really didn't care. Besides I was always busy studying."

Riku gasped. "You're from Twilight Town?"

"No," Jasmine rolled her eyes, "I'm from under the grocery store right next to the frozen yogurt," she replied sarcastically.

"Yikes, is there any reason to get so mean?"

Jasmine sat up. "Then don't ask stupid questions!"

He shushed her. "You're gonna wake up the whole island."

"Whatever. Why did you freak out? It's just Twilight Town. The only serious merits that town has are that it has awesome sunsets and cartoonish trains traveling through the city. I guarantee you, you're gonna get close to death at least five times within the first hour from those things," she told him dryly. "It's really strange; but a lot of things from the Caribbean flow over to Twilight Town. We have a lot of that "hot island culture" everyone craves. I mean, you guys have it here too, but not to the same extent as Twilight Town. This place is more Beverly Hills-esque with a hint of island life."

"I've never been there. It's the one island I _haven't _seen yet."

"You're kidding, right?"

There was a brief pause on Riku's end.

"I guess not," Jasmine finished. "I mean, it's decent—nowhere near as nice as the Destiny Islands—but still livable."

"So? What was it like?"

Jasmine cocked an eyebrow. "Aren't you tired?"

"Nope," he replied. "Start talking."

"You're so demanding," she grumbled. "It's not much to tell. Like I said, it's nothing like this island. There aren't mansions and penthouses everywhere and not everyone drives fancy sports cars. This place doesn't even make sense half the time I swear. Besides, it's not like I actually spent a lot of time around the town being active. Unlike _you_, I had to study so I never really got around to doing much."

"Why not?"

"I _just said_ that I had to study. Do you not speak basic English?"

"Naturalmente io parlo inglese bella ragazza. Mi piace giocare in giro perché sei divertente," Riku replied in a flawless Italian accent.

Jasmine's eyes widened. "Since when did you speak Italian?"

"I took it for five years. Any person with half a brain could understand what I just said. Look it up online, it's a pretty simple and basic phrase. It may not be perfect, except for the accent I just used, but here I thought you were smarter than this."

"Look here," Jasmine growled, "what did you say?"

Riku laughed heartily. "I said, 'Yes ugly. Of course I speak English. I just enjoy screwing with your head' and that's pretty much the end of it."

She jumped to her feet. "I swear I'm going to kick the crap out of you the next time we meet."

"Are you kidding me?" he scoffed. "I play blitzball, which is _more _taxing than football. The odds of you actually beating me up are…nonexistent actually. I'm like a brick wall and you…you're like a dandelion."

"This conversation is giving me a serious migraine. It's going to either a," she raised her index finger, "make my hair fall out or b, make me gray prematurely," and her middle finger followed.

"What's wrong with silver hair? I find it gives me sex appeal."

Jasmine banged her head against the wall. "You're so conceited!"

"You can't say that my hair doesn't attract a lot of attention. I mean honestly."

Riku did have a point. There was no one else that had natural silver hair like he did. The way his hair perfectly framed his face, how every single day it seemed to be styled just right, how it looked unnatural soft, it was definitely not hurting his appearance. No matter how much it pained Jasmine to say it, it was true.

"Yeah," she argued, "if you enjoy looking like some senior citizen."

"Why can't you just admit that I'm attractive? It would ease all the torture."

"Because I'm not one of your fangirls who worships the ground you walk on, that's why. By the way, when was the last time you cut your hair?"

"What kind of random question is that?"

"Dude, you're gonna start looking like a girl if you let it grow any longer and I don't know how many girls are going to follow that trend," she joked lightly. "What should your new name be? Hmm, Rika?" Jasmine grinned at the thought.

"If you were Sora, I swear I'd come over there and throw you out the window…"

Jasmine crawled back into bed and pulled the comforter over her body. She was now starting to relax and this mindless conversation was making all the difference. "Oh please, you love Sora. I think that's a little over the top, even for you. Besides, you wouldn't touch me. I know that for a fact."

"And you're right. It would go against all that I believe in."

Jasmine couldn't help but smile. "It's nice when a man has morals and values."

"I'm a man in your eyes?" he asked innocently.

She nodded. "Well, yes." And then Jasmine said, "I couldn't really consider you anything else though. But yeah."

"I'll just take that as a compliment from you, especially since I rarely get them from you," he laughed. "What else did you do today?"

Jasmine considered telling Riku about the video shoot with Demyx, but she was hoping to keep it low-key for now. Besides, he didn't listen to Demyx a lot based on what she saw in his iPod and computer, it was highly unlikely for him to come across the video and actually sit there and watch the whole thing.

"Roxas came over," she told him casually.

"And what happened? Isn't this the first time you guys really talked since the break up?"

"He just came over and started watching a movie. Then he fell asleep." Jasmine bit her lip. "He konked out in my bed. He sleeps like a log."

"Why was he in your bed?" Riku asked curiously.

Jasmine shrugged her shoulders. "Usually he just hangs out on my bed. As long as he takes off his shoes and we leave the door open, it doesn't really matter. He just came over for a visit. Nothing happened."

"Faye," Riku's voice was testy like he was greatly irritated, "you two just broke up. I _know _he's got feelings for you still. If anything, you should be putting distance between the two of you. Otherwise, he'll keep this idea that you'll get back with him. What are you doing?"

"We were friends beforehand. I don't know why I don't need to totally dump him altogether," Jasmine argued.

Riku moaned. "Roxas still wants you—in more ways than one—but that's not the point. He's going to mistake your kindness for interest. You said so yourself that you don't want to be with him. Just let things cool off for a while. Leave him alone."

Jasmine sprang up in her bed. "Are you telling me what to do?"

"If you wanna make things as easy for him as possible, then yes," Riku replied coldly, "yes I am."

There were a few things that Jasmine could take. She could deal with the kids from school, she could handle her mother, and she could tolerate the unearthly amount of work she had to deal with. But when Riku said, no, _commanded _her to stay away from Roxas it set off a nerve. Just the idea of a man telling her what to do and how to live her life caused Jasmine to bar her teeth and ball her fists.

"Riku, I don't care _who _you think you are, but if you think I'm going to let a man talk to me like this, you've got another thing coming. There's no way in the _world _I'll let you try and tell me what to do."

"You don't see what you're doing," he snapped. "Or maybe you do. I don't know…are you leading him on? Is there something you want from him?"

"What's wrong with you? What do you care if I have Roxas in my room? We leave the door open." She began to pace around the room with irritation engraved in her forehead. "We don't do _anything._ Oh," Jasmine froze, facing the window, "do you think I'm _really _screwing him secretly?"

"You're being stupid."

Her mouth nearly unhinged. "Have you lost your mind?"

"No, but you're not using yours. Aren't you supposed to be the genius here?"

"Why do you care what I do anyway? You can't tell me what to do, Riku! I only tell you what's going on with Roxas because you're supposed to be my friend."

"And as your friend, I'm telling you that you need to stay away from him."

"Listen, what I do is nothing you need to judge me on." Jasmine then added venomously, "And if I want a guy, who happens to be a friend, on my bed, you can't tell me anything. Besides whatever I decide to do with that person is my concern. Not yours. I can do whatever I want. In any case _you_ were in my bed but nothing came of it. It's not like me and him hooked up or anything. If anyone's being stupid and out of line, it's you."

The line went dead and Jasmine held the phone away from her, staring at it in astonishment. "I can't believe he just—"

Before she could say anything else, she shut off her phone and stashed it in her drawer. 'What just happened?'

Tifa walked into the room, panic painted on her fair face. "Jasmine," she grabbed the girl's shoulders, "what's wrong?"

"Riku just hung up on me," her voice was still layered with shock. "We just got into this argument out of nowhere and he hung up on me. I don't understand what happened."

Tifa shushed Jasmine and tucked her back into bed. "Whatever problems you two have now can wait. As of now, it's Christmas Eve so that means you're not allowed to be angry or sad. We're all coming together for a nice family dinner tonight and Yuffie would kill you if you weren't in a good mood. Got it?"

Reluctantly, Jasmine smiled. There was nothing more dangerous than Yuffie when she was on one of her rampages. Not even Zack could keep her under control. "I got it, Tifa. No more frowns. Sleep well."

"Alright," Tifa closed the door on her way out, "see you in a few hours."

Once there was complete silence, Jasmine buried her face into the sheets, clinging to them as if they were a lifeline.

'I don't understand anything anymore.'


	29. Chapter 29: Merry Christmas

**Author's Note: **Ah, now that testing is almost over I can finally get back on a good schedule with this updating thing. I want to thank all of you for reading, faving and all my reviewers **BubbleGum Crisis, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Frooky90, Kanika Meskhenet, animechick247 **and **Melancholy-Symphony**. You guys are awesome!

So yeah umm...this chapter is kinda long. I will not lie. Most likely it's the longest chapter of the story so far. The next chapter will be the end of part one. I decided to not split up the story into two parts. It's just a big hassle. But after chapter 30, the story will get into full swing and that's where all the REAL drama starts hehe ^_^ Tell me what you think of this chapter and leave a review. Take care and happy reading!

-Skye

* * *

An endless stream of "Merry Christmases" filled Jasmine's inbox that Christmas morning. The sky was gloomy and ominous and rain threatened to pour heavily down the streets of the island. Not only that, but the wind was more violent than usual and shook the houses.

Jasmine sat on her bed wearing a long red nightshirt and looking at the many assorted gifts and presents she'd received. From Yuffie, a fifty dollar gift card to her favorite coffee shop, from Zack and Aerith, a giant white teddy bear almost her size holding a small gift card and white feather earrings, and Tifa giving her a large, silver key with her initial 'F' at the bottom.

"_You're one in the same. I wanted to give you something that represented your true name. I love you."_

She couldn't help but smile at the gift. Tifa had not called Jasmine by her first name in years upon her request. Unlike most of the adults, she accepted the change without question.

Her phone began to vibrate again. She opened up the new message. It was from Kairi.

"_Merry Christmas! Hope you have an amazing day! Can't wait for the New Years Eve party!"_

Jasmine shook her head and looked at the pile of presents on her desk. Everyone in her circle of friends went above and beyond for Christmas. She also gave each of them gifts but none of them seemed as extravagant as the ones she received.

Kairi gave Jasmine a limited edition, signed Lady Gaga poster. Tidus gave her a hundred dollar gift card to Victoria's Secret (on that one she had to cringe and laugh at the same time). Sora gave her a pair of dangling silver earrings with the crown pendant at the bottom, very much like his own necklace. Naminé gave her a pair of red, Lady Gaga Heartbeat earphones (she was starting to see that everyone knew she was fond of that particular singer) while Roxas gave Jasmine a pair of purple, diamond stud earrings. But there was one person she had not heard from and it was the one person Jasmine _wished_ to hear from.

Ever since their argument, Jasmine and Riku hadn't spoken. Tifa had to leave the house for the afternoon because there was an unexpectedly large crowd at the restaurant. Zack and Aerith had to leave for their parent's house while Yuffie was out on a date. For the rest of the night, she was alone.

She climbed out of bed and stepped into her slippers before walking through the house. As she walked down the hallways, Jasmine could almost hear the echo of her family's laughter as if they were still there. She looked into the living room where the Christmas tree sat and smiled.

"_Zack, you're gonna tip over the Christmas tree!" Yuffie yelled at the top of her lungs._

"_I'm trying to fix the star! Stop yelling!" Zack screamed back in reply._

"_They're both gonna knock over the tree," Aerith sighed whilst shaking her head. She sipped her tea. "Hopefully they don't set the house on fire."_

Jasmine laughed at the memory. "They're all insane."

But then the quiet began to sink in. She took a seat on the floor and turned on the television, pulling her knees to her chest. 'It's not the end of the world. It's just Christmas. Tifa will be back soon.'

At that precise moment when Jasmine finally got comfortable, the bell for the house rang. She groaned out loud and sluggishly pulled herself to her feet. "I'm coming!" she shouted.

As she walked, she tightened her bun. 'Who comes by on Christmas day without calling first?'

Once she opened the door, Jasmine was awestruck at first but then became defensive the next.

"What do you want?" she asked venomously. "I thought you weren't talking to me. After all you did hang up the phone in my face."

"Merry Christmas, Faye," Riku said unaffectedly.

She took a step back and looked away from him. "Like I just asked, what are you doing here?"

"You need to come with me, right now," Riku stressed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Why?" Jasmine noticed that it was starting to rain but she stood her ground. "What makes you think I won't slam the door in your face right now? Did you think it was _really _okay to just talk to me like that?"

"Faye," Riku began ruefully.

Jasmine began to advance on him, not caring whether or not she was in the rain. "Shut up! Let's get this straight, Riku. You're _never _going to talk to me like that again. I'm not some little girl who's gonna be obedient and take that kind of crap from a man."

Riku crossed his arms over his chest. "Won't you let me speak?"

She backed him up even more so now they were standing full-on in the rain. "Why should I? You wouldn't let _me _speak that night! You hung up in my face. What kind of friend are you supposed to be anyway?"

It was Riku's turn to speak his mind. "Faye, you _knew _that it was a bad idea. He still has feelings for you. You're going to screw things up if you don't back off."

Jasmine held her arms out, her vision being obscured by the rain. "Did you really come over here for this? To ruin the rest of my Christmas?"

"No," he said through gritted teeth, "that's not why I came here."

"Then why? Why come if you're just going to argue with me?"

His groaned out loud. "If you'd just get in the car, then I'll show you."

Jasmine frowned and removed her glasses, no longer able to see through the lenses. "Riku, I don't have time for your games." She headed back into the house and he trailed behind her.

"I'm not leaving without you," he warned, following close behind her.

She grabbed her cell phone and started texting. "That's funny. You're going to tell me what to do in my own home. You _must_ have lost your mind."

"Fine then, have it your way."

Just like that, Riku scooped Jasmine up in his arms and carried her out the door, grabbing her house keys on the way out. She kicked, yelled and screamed the whole time while Riku, remained unfazed by her struggling.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" she screamed.

Riku locked the door behind him and headed for the car. "Stop screaming. You're going to cause a scene."

Jasmine was grinding her teeth and her face reddened. 'How is he so strong? I can't believe this is happening.'

He set her as gently as he could in his car before shutting the door tightly. Riku slid into the car, started up the engine and took off down the wet streets of the island.

"You're out of your mind!" Jasmine yelled.

"No I'm not," he replied calmly. "We weren't getting anywhere standing in your driveway screaming at each other."

Jasmine shivered. She was still in her nightshirt and her feet were bare. Plus she left her glasses on the counter. The only things she had on her were her cell phone, and the house keys attached to her car keys. She realized that beating him while he was driving in heavy rain would only land them in a heap on the side of the road. So now Jasmine was cold, shoeless and practically blind. "Where are we going?" she asked, voice racked with defeat.

"My house," he replied calmly, "It's about twenty minutes away so you might as well chill out till then. I don't want my parents thinking I kidnapped you."

"But you did!" she argued.

"Just relax and enjoy the ride."

Then Riku fell silent. Jasmine had no choice but to just let him drive. 'What a Christmas this is turning out to be.'

* * *

When they arrived at Riku's mansion, Jasmine couldn't keep her mouth closed. It was perhaps the largest mansion she'd ever seen in her life.

"You should probably stop gawking," Riku was already at her door. "You won't get inside any quicker."

Jasmine looked at the ground. There was water everywhere. "I can't believe you didn't at least grab my sandals as you kidnapped me."

Riku rolled his eyes. "You're not heavy, but you're tall so grabbing your keys, locking the door and carrying you in my arms while you were struggling was the best I could do at the moment." He bent down and Jasmine stared at him.

"What are you doing?"

"Get on my back. I don't want you slipping and hurting yourself," he called over his shoulder.

"I'm already soaking wet."

"Do I have to pull you out of the car and toss you over my shoulder? It won't take much effort."

Not wanting to go through the same event as earlier, Jasmine hopped onto Riku's back and closed the door before he walked her up to the front door.

"We're still fighting you know," she reminded him while clinging on for dear life.

Grunting, Riku continued on. While he held Jasmine tighter, he unlocked the door and stepped inside.

Never in Jasmine's life had she seen a home so lavish and elegant. It was like something out of a dream. It was enormous and spacious on the inside with floor to ceiling glass windows everywhere. The floor was a sparkling alabaster and there was sleek black furniture everywhere. Abstract art hung from the walls and light Christmas decorations were strung from the ceilings and walls. The crystal chandelier in the foyer hanging at least four floors up seemed to glisten like stars in the sky. Jasmine knew that Riku lived in the lap of luxury, but _this _was beyond her wildest dreams.

And then she remembered everything.

"Now what?" Jasmine asked shortly. "Am I going to be stuck like this on your back or is there some sort of reason for your madness?"

Riku chuckled, surprising Jasmine indefinitely. She was being so harsh and pointed with him and yet Riku was laughing. "Your feet are wet. I'm not going to let you dirty up our floor. Hang on; we've got to go to the third floor."

As Riku started walking up the stair, Jasmine said, "With all the money you guys have, an elevator wouldn't be such an outlandish thing to have."

"We have one, but I take the stairs every day."

Jasmine's eyes nearly shot out of their sockets. She knew he wasn't kidding.

"It's not such a big deal. The elevator is mostly used for my older relatives who can't move around. Everyone else just uses the stairs."

"You are carrying over a hundred pounds of person on your back. It's different," she argued. "Besides I'm soaking wet."

"That's why you're going to take a bath."

"Excuse me?"

"You didn't really expect me to let you roam the house soaking wet with dirty feet," Riku finally reached the third floor and walked down the hallway. Being in this environment Jasmine never felt so small, out of place and even dirty. Even though she tried not to think about her social standing and class, being with Riku was actually very uncomfortable. She was so out of it that she didn't even notice that she was already in his lavish bathroom.

The bathroom was set in crème and gold with matching tiles and towels. The bathtub, which was already full with water, could fit at least five people and was set in the floor so if anyone wasn't careful, they'd walk and fall into it. There was a gold box sitting on the sink and Riku set her down on the mat beside the sink.

"Those are pajamas for you to change into. You'll catch a cold if you stay in the ones you're wearing."

"This isn't necessary," Jasmine rubbed her ankles, trying as hard as she could to keep from showing her face.

"Uh, yeah it is. You're about to track dirt and stuff all over the floors. Take a bath, wash your hair then meet me down the hall."

Before Jasmine could protest, Riku was gone and out the door. She sat on the floor and sighed heavily, grabbing the box and unwrapping it. She pulled out a crème, silk, button up night shirt with matching shorts and gold colored slippers resembling ballet flats and underwear that was exactly the right size.

'I don't know whether to be thankful, or creeped out that he knows the size of everything that I wear,' she thought suspiciously. But then she began to shiver. The cold was already starting to get to her. Like Riku said, everything she would need, towels, soap, shampoo, was all lined up for her. It would seem as though he knew that she'd be here regardless.

* * *

Once Jasmine was done, she had stepped out into the hall like Riku had said. She allowed her hair to hang loose (especially since the rubber band had snapped) and rubbed her eyes.

'It sucks being blind.'

Seeing as Riku only told her to go down the hall, and that there were two directions, she started down the right, hanging close to the wall just out of habit. After a good couple of minutes of her blindly walking, Jasmine turned left and went down another hallway.

'A map wouldn't be such a bad idea in a place this huge.'

Down this hallway though, there were a countless amount of large-scale photographs hanging from the walls and several gold and platinum records right beside them. Jasmine came to one in particular and stopped. It was a picture of Angela trapped in a cage reaching out. She looked stunning as always in a blue silk gown.

"Why does he have a picture of her on the wall?" She asked herself quietly, completely confused by the situation. However she kept walking and at the end of the hall, she came to a set of large, black double doors. Gently, she knocked on them.

"Riku!" she rasped. "Are you in there?"

Suddenly, the doors swung open and Jasmine had to catch herself before she fell in.

"Well well, look who I find at my door," Angela said with a bright smile while seated at her large, executive's desk. All around her were more plaques on the wall and photographs with a piano by the window.

Jasmine gasped and tried to fight the look of embarrassment rising to her face. She shut the doors behind her. "At the risk of sounding extremely stupid, what, I mean, how are you here?"

Angela burst into a fit of laughter. "Sweetie, I live here."

Jasmine's eye twitched.

"You know, Riku told me all about this girl he'd been having trouble with at school," She stood up and wrapped her bathrobe tighter around herself, "and that her name was Jasmine. Well, there are a million Jasmines on the island. Imagine my surprise when he brings this girl home and it happens to be my latest client and star video girl."

"Riku's your SON?" Jasmine blurted dumbfoundedly. She saw a photograph on the wall with Angela and a younger version of Riku at some red carpet even with an attractive man with a tall, muscular build, short, spiked silver hair and aquatic blue eyes like Riku.

"Yeah, but I'd say he takes after his father more," she said with a smile. Upon noticing the cracked expression on Jasmine's face, her smile faded by a molar. "Do you need to sit down? You look pale."

Jasmine pressed her palm to her face and sank into the leather chair behind her. "I can't believe the luck. I should have seen this coming." She then looked up. "You guys have the same shaped eyes."

Angela laughed and sat beside Jasmine. "I'm glad I finally get to meet the girl whose been keeping my son in check for the past few months. I didn't know you were so…_animated. _I mean, did you really kick his locker door shut and do you really threaten him on a daily basis?"

Sheepishly, she replied yes. "He wasn't being very nice."

"He has his moments sometimes, but he's a good kid. I'm going to safely assume that he dragged you out of your house, huh?"

Jasmine nodded, still trying to absorb everything.

"Not shocking. He's always been like that. I'll have to get him for that later." Angela read Jasmine's face. "Riku has no idea that we've been working together for the past few weeks. I didn't see the need."

Jasmine let out a breath of embarrassment. "Thank you so much. I don't really know why I'm keeping this a secret."

"Well it won't be much of a secret. On New Year's Day it'll be broadcast on every single music station internationally."

Jasmine's stomach dropped. "That's…awesome?"

"By the way, now that you're here," She pulled out her phone, "Victoria wants to meet with you in the next couple of days. Demyx wants to talk to you about being in the next music video for his other single. He was really impressed with you and loved the video's end result. Supposedly he wants to start experimenting. Also I want you to meet another one of my clients. You're going to be a very busy girl."

"Experimenting?" Jasmine asked curiously.

Angela pulled Jasmine to her feet and pushed the girl out of her office. "Well, are we going to hang out and enjoy the rest of this gloomy Christmas or what? Let's go! My husband is playing _Spirited Away_ up in our master bedroom."

'I never expected my Christmas to turn into this.'

* * *

"Dad, I'm telling you you're going deaf working on those movie sets all day," Riku yelled above the surround sound of the speakers in Riku's parent's master bedroom. "Turn it down!"

Riku's father smacked his son with a pillow. "I like to absorb everything when I watch a film."

Jasmine had never expected to be here, ever in her life. Here she was on Christmas day, well more towards the evening, and she was watching movies with Riku's family. His mother was almost like her agent for music videos and his dad, come to find out, directed some of her favorite films of all time. The strange thing was that Riku was totally unaware of everything going on around him. She couldn't fully focus on the movie because she was just so awestruck with the way things unraveled around her.

Angela laughed and watched the two go back and forth. Riku and his father sat at the end of the bed while Jasmine and Riku's mother sat against the headboard. "Personally Riku, I don't really think you should talk. Ever since I got you those Dr. Dre headphones, you've been cranking them up full blast. Isn't that right, Ryo?"

Riku's father smiled. "I love it when I win."

"They're children, I know," Angela whispered to Jasmine who seemed more lost in the film _Spirited Away _than either of the two silver-haired men sitting in front of her.

"It's okay," Jasmine replied with a faint smile. "It's actually kind of nice."

Ryo turned to Jasmine and smiled. "See? As long as we're not killing each other, it's fine. Tell that to my wife. She worries too much."

Angela pouted and threw a fashion pillow at her husband's head. "Oh shut up. Just watch the movie."

"You're just mad because Jasmine agrees with me."

Angela then tossed another pillow at Ryo, hitting him square in the back of the head. "Whatever happened to 'Silence Is Golden'?"

"We're not in an actual theatre, so the same rules don't apply. You doing okay back there, Jasmine? Are we disturbing you in any way?"

Jasmine shook her head and smiled softly, partially hiding it behind her knees. "No, I'm fine." Although to Riku's trained ears she didn't seem okay.

"Are you sure?" He asked cautiously.

Her answered was muffled by her thighs. "Um, I'll be back. I have to go to the restroom."

"That's fine. Do you want us to pause the movie for you?"

Jasmine declined politely and slid off the enormous bed. "I think I'll be okay. I've seen this movie at least twelve times on my own. Thank you though."

As quietly as humanly possible, Jasmine exited through the giant double doors that led to the main hall. Once she shut the doors behind her she sped away from the area and headed down the stairs feeling sickened, confused and depressed all at the same time.

'Why would Riku bring me here on Christmas day? He didn't even want to speak to me the day before yesterday. He's so bipolar it's hard to deal with him.' She turned down a hallway on the second floor and continued to walk aimlessly. 'No matter what, it still feels so wrong here. Riku and his family are trying to enjoy the day and then I get dragged over here. I don't belong.'

She came to a giant window and slumped to the floor, watching the rain continue to beat against the house and the island. A soft, dim pain erupted in Jasmine's chest and she shivered. Her head rested against the glass and her vision became a blur.

_Flashback_

_A young Jasmine woke up Christmas morning and climbed out of bed. She scurried to her parent's room and pulled the door open to find it empty._

"_They must be downstairs," she reasoned, a smile returning to her soft, adolescent face. _

_Jasmine ran downstairs and spotted the Christmas tree, decorated to perfection with tons of presents underneath. As Jasmine explored the house for her parents, she came across a note on the refrigerator. She peeled it off and scanned over the letter. _

"_Jasmine, your father and I had to go away for a couple of days. We're sorry that we couldn't spend Christmas with you. Next year, I promise it'll be different. _

_Love, _

_Mom and Dad"_

_Jasmine knew her mother's handwriting. Her father had never written a note to her as long as she'd been alive. Once again, she had the house all to herself on Christmas with no one to share the holiday with. This was the second year it's happened in a row and the third in total._

_And it all hurt the same as it did the first time. _

_End of Flashback_

"Jasmine! Jasmine!" Riku called from down the hall.

The girl did not budge an inch but she did remember where she was. However, time had escaped her and she was unaware of how long she was gone. Jasmine remained silent all the while and looked over her shoulder when she felt him standing right behind her.

"What are you doing? You're missing the movie, c'mon," he called.

Stiffly, Jasmine pulled herself up and walked ahead of him, feeling a great weight and pressure on her heart.

"We're almost done with the movie and dinner is almost ready," Riku told her. "My mom isn't much of a cook but my dad is good at it."

Jasmine nodded her head, walking on ahead of him.

"I get it. You're still pissed at me," Riku said with a sigh as they came up the stairs.

Silence.

"And you're giving me the silent treatment now?" Riku reached for Jasmine's sleeve but she pulled away before he could get close. "Faye!"

She ran up the stairs, leaving him there to his thoughts.

* * *

"Did you enjoy the movie, Jasmine?" Riku's father asked politely from across the table. "It's really nice having someone else over for the holidays. Riku talks about you so much, I was really quite interested in who this mystery girl was. I'm happy to have finally met you."

Riku rolled his eyes and ate his food in silence.

Jasmine, who hardly touched her food smiled politely. "I really love that movie, ever since I was a child."

Ryo dabbed his mouth off and slid his napkin under his plate. "Why do you love it so much? I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

"He's probably trying to get some input for his next project," Riku, who sat beside her mentioned. Still, she did not look at him when he spoke.

"I'm curious, that's all. What do you like about it?"

Jasmine finished off her ham and pushed back the plate. "Maybe it's just me," she said in a light, almost dreamy voice, "but it reminds me of my childhood. I always wanted to be able to travel off to some magical, make-believe place. That's why I love the movie so much. It connects me a bit to my childhood." She looked up at the ceiling. "There's nothing more beautiful than the imagination of a child."

Ryo and Angela's eyes widened while Riku stared at her. The way the words just seemed to flow out of her mouth like she was an all-knowing, ancient poet of sorts with wisdom far beyond a sixteen year old girl.

"That's beautiful, Jasmine," Angela said finally, smiling a bit.

"Thanks," she said bashfully, "It just kind of flew out of my mouth."

"What are you into? I mean, are you involved in any sort of arts program or something?" Ryo stared long and hard at Jasmine as if he was searching for something.

She brushed her hair out of her face. "No, I'm always studying. I've never had the chance to do anything like that."

"No music? Singing? Dancing? Acting?"

Jasmine shook her head. "I can play the piano, but that's about it. I'm into music, but I don't really play at this time."

Ryo adjusted his glasses. "What's your favorite song?"

"Dad," Riku cut in, "why are you grilling her?"

His father's eyes never left Jasmine. "I'm just curious is all."

Jasmine then replied, "As of right now, it's _Escapist _by Nightwish."

"Whoa, that's a pretty heavy song," Ryo said is slight awe.

"I thought you were only into pop," Riku said while tapping her shoulder. She did not budge. It killed him on the inside to see her so mad at him. She wouldn't talk to him, she didn't want to sit next to him, but the worst part about it was that she wouldn't even look at him. Nothing seemed to work and it was starting to mess with his head.

"It's good song. I love the concept of escapism."

After that Ryo remained silent and turned his attention elsewhere, and tapped the table softly as his thoughts ran through his mind.

"By the way, Riku, don't you have something for Jasmine?" Angela asked softly, nudging her head to the Christmas tree. Her son excused himself for a moment and within a minute returned with a large, metallic silver box and handed it off to Jasmine.

"You aren't allowed to open it until you get home," Riku told her, hoping he'd see a fraction of a smile on her face but was sorely disappointed when he didn't even see a crack in her stone cold, emotionless face.

Jasmine fingered the enormous bow on the equally enormous box. "You didn't have to get me anything. You wouldn't let me to buy you something."

"And I told you that you'd end up getting me something or doing something, but that I'd have to decide."

"I'm not going to like this," she muttered under her breath.

"You're so soft-spoken," Angela noted. "From the way Riku talks about you—", her son rolled his eyes at this, "—it's almost as if you're always chewing someone's head off. Although I knew he was stretching the truth _and _if you're getting on _anyone_, it's my son and he probably earned it."

"Hey!" Riku called out indignantly. "You're my mom! Whose side are you on anyway?"

Angela nodded to Jasmine. "Hers," she answered bluntly. "I know you give her hell half the time." Angela gave Jasmine a soft stare of concern. "Is everything okay?"

Jasmine pushed back the present and watched the rain. "It's fine." Then she added in a voice barely above a whisper, "This is the first Christmas in five years that I haven't been by myself."

At that, the entire room became as silent as the grave, each person not wanting or knowing what to say. Riku's father shook his head in mild disgust. Angela had a look of shock and disbelief on her face while Riku was simply dumbstruck.

Angela waved a hand. "Hold on. So you mean to tell me, that you were left alone on Christmas day for five years in a row?"

Jasmine nodded. "There was an emergency with my guardian but I told her to go on ahead. Besides, we spent Christmas Eve together."

"That's fine. But what I don't understand why your parents aren't around. You're an only child. They should be spending the holiday with you. It doesn't matter what's going on." Angela's usually calm demeanor was beginning to shape into one of irritation. "I can't believe this. How could they leave you?"

Jasmine reached for her glass of cider and took a sip. "I'm just used to it I guess. I usually just sleep through the day so I don't have to think about it."

Riku had heard enough for the day. Without a word, he left for the stairs with his parents.

'I wonder what's got him all worked up,' Jasmine thought as she placed her glass back down. She quietly excused herself and followed after him, leaving the present on the table. When she reached what appeared to be his room, she knocked on the door and let herself in almost immediately after the fact.

"Why did you freak out?" She asked him as she shut the door. His room color scheme was black, white and royal blue and it was at least the size of two master bedrooms. Jasmine had to get over the size issue quickly though so she could address the situation at hand.

Riku, who sat on the end of his king sized bed, shrugged his shoulders. "Now you want to speak to me?" he said gruffly.

Jasmine was now on the offensive. "Riku, don't act like nothing went wrong when we talked on the phone. You attacked me and hung up in my face. It happened so you'll have to face it instead of going on like it didn't. All I want to know is why you felt the need to act like that."

"Why do you always have to argue with me? No one ever gives me this much trouble and stress."

"Because you were wrong!" Her voice began to elevate and she pointed to him accusingly. "What is it about you where you have to get your way ALL the time? In case you haven't figured it out, I'm not going to be so passive about you disrespecting me!"

Riku placed his hand over Jasmine's mouth and she slapped it away. "Can you be a little more quiet? I'm sure the neighbors will be able to hear you any second."

"Don't put your hand over my mouth!" She snapped.

Sighing dismissively, Riku fell back on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

"So what? Are you just gonna sit back and _not_ discuss this?" Jasmine approached Riku and stood over him. "Hmm? Are you done now?"

"I don't even know how to talk to you right now."

Jasmine leaned over Riku in order to talk to him face to face. "I don't see why you can't talk about this. Roxas fell asleep on my bed. Big deal. Last time I checked," she watched her balance as she continued to lean forward, "you did the exact same thing."

"But I'm not your ex who _clearly _wants you back," he grunted.

Jasmine could practically feel the veins popping out of her neck. There was no way this would get resolved without one of them killing the other. Instead she exhaled, blowing the strands of hair out of her face. "I'll agree to be super cautious around Roxas if you apologize for hanging up on me. Then I swear I'll never bring this up to you again for as long I'm breathing. Deal?"

Riku's interest was obviously peaked. "You're gonna drop it, just like _that_?"

"Honestly, I don't have the energy for this. But you've got to apologize too." Jasmine rubbed her eyes. 'What a long day this turned into…'

"Clearly I must be getting to you," Riku said with a smirk hidden behind his words.

Jasmine collapsed on the far end of his bed away from Riku and curled into a ball. "Just shut up and apologize," she murmured.

"How am I going to shut up and then say sorry? You're contradicting yourself."

Jasmine shot up from her position and smacked him flat in the chest. "Just say it!"

"Don't be so abusive," he warned her, wincing from being struck so hard. 'That actually hurt a bit.' Riku then groaned and rolled over on his side so that he was staring at the back of her head. "I'm sorry, Faye."

"I accept and I'll watch myself from now on," she sighed tiredly. Since her yearly tradition of sleeping through Christmas was being disrupted, Jasmine felt herself slipping but refused to drift off in Riku's room.

They lay silent like that for a fair amount of time, neither one of them daring to speak and break the calm. Riku brushed his hair out of his face and leaned on his elbows, watching Jasmine and intently listening to her even breathing.

'Did she really end up spending all those years alone by herself?' he asked himself sadly, feeling anger and sadness well up in his chest. 'How could her parents do that to her? No one should be alone.' Then he remembered all their conversations. She had often (if not unconsciously) hinted at being by herself for a great deal of time but he didn't think it was this bad. He mildly understood not being able to hang out with friends with her hectic life and busy schedule, but the holidays were a time for being with the ones you cared about most. Not to sit in a house and sleep the day away.

"Faye, I had no idea that…" Riku began, only to stop at a loss for words.

Jasmine curled further into herself. "Like I said, it's not the end of the world. I'm used to being by myself."

Riku then sat up. "It doesn't make it any less wrong though. You shouldn't be treated like this."

She felt her chest tighten. "It doesn't matter." Jasmine hoped to be able to block out Riku's words. She never talked about this before and it was affecting her in ways that she never imagined before. Tifa had asked her about this but Jasmine would usually cut the conversation short. 'I don't know how long I can handle this without starting to feel worse than I already do.'

"Wait right here," he commanded. Jasmine stayed in that same spot and waited patiently. She could swear that she heard the door open and close behind him as he left the bedroom and figured that he was going to go back down and tell his parents something, especially since he left in such a huff and cause a mini-scene.

A few minutes later the door opened and Jasmine remained frozen. She felt the bed sink in as Riku sat down.

"I want you to close your eyes."

"Why?" she asked suspiciously, although only sounding half-hearted. "Is it that bomb you've been _dying _to give me since the day we met?"

Riku continued to face the wall as he held the item in his hands. For some reason, he could not turn around. He felt her change positions on the bed and he could swear that her eyes were blaring into his back. 'Why can't I look at her?'

"I mean, I think it'd be pretty stupid for you to try to get rid of me in your parent's home. Heh, you really are something."

"Your eyes aren't closed," he stated plainly.

Jasmine lazily rolled her eyes. "Fine but if I die, I'll come back and haunt you for the rest of your life."

"Just close them," Riku instructed once more.

She did as she was told and folded her hands in her lap.

Once he was sure that Jasmine's eyes were closed, he took the item he was holding and set it down at her knees and exhaled deeply.

"Can I open them now?" she asked anxiously. "Or should I just give you my last request now?"

Riku wiped a strand of hair from his eyes. "Just open them."

Jasmine opened her eyes and she felt her heart stop for a moment. With shaky hands, she reached forward and picked up a medium sized Mickey Mouse stuffed doll. Jasmine tugged at his trademark, over-sized ears and then ran a slender index finger over his permanent smile.

"H-How did y-you…w-why did you…?" Her eyes fell to the doll and then she pressed it tightly to her chest.

"A couple of things clicked. One is that you said you've never been to Disneyland—which I might add is sad on so many levels. Then," Riku raised his index finger then his middle, "as many times as I've been in your room, I've never _once _seen a Mickey Mouse doll or anything related to Disney." Riku cleared his throat. "It's probably silly," his voice was racked with uncertainty, "and there's more in that box I gave you but I just thought that it'd be something you might like."

Jasmine was silent for at least two minutes and she felt her chest tingle in a way that she never experienced before. Her heart swelled with a mixture of emotions and she was finding it difficult to distinguish them.

"If you don't like it, just say so. I know it's kind of childish but I just thought…"

Jasmine looked up finally and Riku's eyes locked with her twisted, confused, hazel gold ones. Riku was a bit frightened with how she was reacting. It was as if she was going to cry but there wasn't a tear in sight. Her expression resembled what should have been heartbreak but _this _was so different from anything he'd ever seen from her before.

"Faye? Are you alright?"

She tossed the doll aside carelessly and latched her arms around Riku, cradling his head in her arm with his head pressed to her chest. Sighing heavily, she gave him a gentle squeeze. "Thank you, Riku. For everything."

Riku completely shut down. This was most definitely _not _the reaction he'd been expecting to receive. Jasmine continued to speak and he listened carefully.

"It was nice for just a while to not be alone for Christmas. Every other year, I'd just sleep through it in an attempt to escape the loneliness. Other times, especially when I was younger, I'd cry until there was nothing left. This year I ended up with Tifa and then you took me into your home and it's the first time when I actually felt wanted on the holiday. I didn't feel so out of touch. Thank you."

Jasmine released him and Riku felt the shock from losing her warmth and tried his hardest not to shiver. She was always so warm compared to him. Today though, the heat from her touch sent a chill up his spine and spread that same warmth through his chest. Riku practically suffocated but his pride would not allow him to show his weakness.

She turned her back to him and then picked up the stuffed doll. Jasmine then laid back down on his bed and exhaled. "Sorry for the sap moment. The holiday season always gets to me." Jasmine then began to shiver lightly but tried to hide it by shifting around on the bed.

Still in shock from losing Jasmine's surprising warmth, Riku laughed it off. "You're such a weirdo. I can't believe this doesn't bother you."

"What doesn't bother me?" Jasmine asked, closing her eyes and fighting off the chills.

"The fact that you can be so calm about how you're home alone," Riku replied, leaning towards her. "You're strong; I don't know if I could have taken it for so many years. Unless I went to Sora's house but even so it's still depressing."

Jasmine's voice became ominously dark and devoid of all cheer. "I never said it didn't bother me."

Riku was instantly shaken by her tone but continued to listen.

"I hate it. Every year it's the same. My worthless, weak mother follows my dad around without questioning how all this might affect their only child. She wants me to be like her: reserved, obedient and her only wish is for me to get married in college and be with some politician," Jasmine spoke freely. She tried her hardest but couldn't shake off the chills she got every time she thought of her parents and how they always left her alone. "And then my father," her words were now icy, "my work-a-holic, money-driven, power-driven father who tries to manipulate me to do what he wants is worse. He doesn't care if I'm half-dead as long as I don't tarnish the "Silva family name" and if I don't succeed he refuses to acknowledge me.

"He always wanted a son and from what I remember he was a bit disappointed when I was born. Nowadays it seems like he has something planned for me but it still doesn't change how he treats me. He and my mother are perfect together."

Jasmine then buried her face into one of Riku's pillows and squeezed the doll tighter. At this point she was so lost in her own confession that she almost forgot that Riku was there. "It feels like, especially on the holidays, that they don't care if I'm alive or dead." And then in a voice almost below a whisper she said, "I don't even know if one of them said "I love you" to me after I turned nine. In fact, I really do believe that neither of them actually loved me."

"You…" Riku was at a loss for words. "You can't honestly believe that."

She sighed and once again curled into her ball. "The proof is in their past and lack of presence in my life."

Wordlessly, Riku reached forward and gently turned Jasmine on her back, pulling her closer to him in the process. Her eyes were wide with surprise and confusion as he stared at her so intently and so determinedly. She felt her heart rate pick up as his oceanic blues blared down on her. He never once removed his hands from her wrists as he spoke.

"Listen to me, Faye. I don't want you to be alone anymore like this anymore."

"What are you talking about? I'm here with you now," she raised an eyebrow at this curiously, all the while fighting against the butterflies in her stomach when he held her.

"That's not what I'm talking about." Riku then lifted Jasmine up and leaned her body against him, her head to his broad, strong chest. "I mean, I don't want you to ever spend another Christmas like the ones you've been having for the past few years. If you don't make plans you'll be spending the holiday with me, end of story."

Jasmine weakly asked, "Is this up for discussion?"

"Will you just let me have _this_ one?" Riku rested his chin on her head. "And no, it's not."

She squeezed the dolls torso tighter. 'Why can't I breathe normally?'

"Is this going to be our next argument, or are you going to cooperate with me? Trust me, this isn't a fight you can win. Period."

"Riku…" Jasmine originally protested.

In one swift movement, Riku tilted up her face with his left hand and cradled it gently while holding her in place. "Faye, stop arguing."

'It's getting harder and harder. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breath out…'

"Can you agree with me on this one? Please, Faye."

'Breathe in, and out….'

"I won't let you go until you agree with me."

Finding herself unable to speak Jasmine simply nodded her head, much to Riku's delight.

"What's wrong?" An ever-so charming smirk crept on Riku's face. "Can't speak?"

Her cheeks started to light up and in an attempt to hide this, she tore her face from Riku's hand. "You're such a jerk." Jasmine plopped back down on her side and remained still while her thoughts ran a hundred miles an hour.

Riku then hovered over Jasmine, his arms pressed to his sides. He leaned close to her so that his cool breath sprayed over her face. Riku laughed lightly, his lips slightly grazing Jasmine's ear. "I love it when I can win."

"You win all the time," she grumbled. "Not with me though," she added quickly.

"I think I'm finally wearing you down," Riku boasted. "Under normal circumstances, you'd be chewing my head off. You're warming up to me."

"Shut up," she barked. But even she had to admit that it wasn't as strong or sharp as usual. 'What's wrong with me?'

"Face it, Faye," Riku teased. There was something about how innocent and flustered she looked right about now that was exciting. "You won't be able to keep fighting me forever."

Jasmine shut her eyes, begging for sleep to come and take her. She'd never seen this side of Riku before and never had their bodies been so close together in all the months that she knew him. Her heart was racing, the chills continued to come in waves one after another and the heat rising to her face wasn't doing anything for her. But she and Riku had been talking as friends for a good while now. What made this time so different? The nature of her visit? The softness of his alluring voice? The fact that his face was so close to hers?

She narrowed her eyes and watched him carefully. "Trust me it's not much of a fight."

A dangerous spark was present in Riku's eyes. He could sense a challenge. "We'll see about that, won't we, Faye?"

"We shall," Jasmine fired back.

With a "hmph" Riku headed for the door. "I'll let you rest for a while. I've already interrupted your Christmas day beauty rest. Besides, if you get any redder I'll have to take you to the hospital."

"OUT!" Jasmine roared.

Riku opened the door and stood in the hall. "It's my room, but then again I'll let you have it today. Take it because my kindness will run out soon."

Gruffly, Jasmine fell flat on the bed and grumbled, "Whatever, Rich Boy."

With that Riku closed the door and locked it tight behind him. He smiled slightly to himself and walked back down to the dining room.

"Merry Christmas, Faye."


	30. Chapter 30: Bring on the New Year

**Author's Note: **I can't believe all the support and praise I'm getting for this story. When I first started out, I didn't think it'd turn into this. I can't express how thankful I am at those of you who read the stories, fave them, alert them and fave me as well. Thank you guys so much! Sorry I just had to have my little emotional rant. I'm better now!

This is the last chapter of part one of the story and part two will officially kick off in chapter 31. I'm still shocked that I have so much posted on this site. Sorry if the chapters have gotten a little lengthy but I didn't want to cheat you guys out of descriptions or anything like that. Also in this chapter is the long awaited music video scene. I am not going to lie: this was probably the hardest part of the story. Trying to create the same vision I had in mind was almost impossible. I didn't add the lyrics to Demyx's song "Ghost" (which I had to write out myself) for a specific reason and I don't think it'll show up for another few chapters. But yes, this is the conclusion of part one. We're gonna get to see what exactly happened after Christmas, a bit of Sora and Kairi, Namine, Roxas, Selphie, Tidus and of course Riku and Jasmine/Faye. There should be an introduction of a few new conflicts here but not all of them. I want to leave that a secret for now :)

I want to thank my reviewers, **animechick247**, **Clumsy Clouds**,** rzhollis**, **Sayonara Yasashii Akumu**, **ventus4ever**, **Frooky90**, **Khaotic Kal**, and **Kanika Meskhenet**. Everyone who supports this story is amazing in my book :) I won't make part two a separate story but look out for it in the next week or so. I wanna get the ball rolling! Take care everyone. Happy Holidays and Happy Reading!

-Skye :)

* * *

Jasmine awoke with a jolt that morning, clutching her chest and breathing heavily. Her face dripped with sweat and her hair clung to her cheeks. Jasmine's only sense of safety was realizing that she was back in her own room, in her own bed, with the Mickey Mouse doll Riku had given her tucked in her arms.

'I can't believe I've had that same nightmare for the past week,' Jasmine thought miserably as she flopped back down on the bed.

That same man, the one she couldn't identify, and his threats haunted her each and every night and although Jasmine realized it was a dream the danger the man presented was still there.

She looked down at the doll and she began to calm down. For some strange reason, whenever Jasmine held it, her muscles relaxed and she felt at peace. 'Thanks, Riku.'

Jasmine kicked off the sheets and walked into her bathroom, still holding the doll in her arms as she did so. She flicked on the light and stared at her reflection in the mirror, frustrated by the sight before her. Her skin was clammy, her hair was wet and her eyes were bloodshot with dark circles underneath.

"I look just like I feel," Jasmine switched off the light in the bathroom and set her doll back on the bed where it belonged. She took a spot on her bed and picked up the box Riku had given her for Christmas. Even though it had been opened, she kept the bow perfectly intact. She fingered the card Riku wrote out for her and read over the words for the hundredth time.

_Faye,_

_I know I've driven you insane over the past few months but I can't help it. You're just too much fun to mess with. Don't expect me to go soft on you just because our partnership is going over well. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas._

_-Riku_

'I'd almost think _he'd _be the crazy one if he ever cut me slack,' she thought whilst shaking her head.

When Jasmine had come home that night, she and Riku didn't have much of a conversation as they rode. In fact, it seemed as though Riku was irritated or disturbed by something. So instead of asking, she figured that she'd let it go for now and talk about it at a time when the car wasn't so tense.

Tifa and she went through the box together and Jasmine felt choked whenever Tifa pulled out another item. Riku had spoiled her beyond belief. He bought her two designer dresses, one pair of shoes, a leather jacket, silver leather fingerless gloves, perfume, pajamas, two skirts, three tops and a black designer purse. Jasmine almost called him and told him to take it back. She felt uncomfortable. But then she realized that if she tried to give it back, they'd collide again.

'I guess I should pick out something for the New Year's party tonight.'

But even the thought of having a great time with her new friends couldn't calm her down. In fact, Jasmine had been out of whack for almost two weeks although she refused to let it show. Something wasn't right and she was deeply unsettled.

'I wish I knew why.'

* * *

"Riku, hurry up!" Kairi called over her shoulder as she took out several bottles of apple cider. "I need help carrying all these up to the rooftop."

The silver-haired boy exhaled deeply and dug his hands in his pockets, walking sluggishly over to Kairi.

"Jeez Riku," Kairi tossed her hair over to one shoulder and handed Riku the case of cider. "You're moving slower than Sora today. Didn't get enough sleep?"

Riku shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, avoiding Sora who came running down the stairs to meet them.

"Okay, Kai," he said through haggard breaths, "I'm ready for the next batch."

Kairi smiled and handed Sora the next crate, being ever so careful as to not drop it.

"You know, Kairi," Riku began playfully, "I don't think you should let Sora handle the cider. You know how he gets when he has sugar in his system." He nudged Sora's elbow with his own. "He might end up destroying everything in the house."

Sora's cheeks reddened when Kairi giggled and the brunette stormed after his best friend up the many stairs in Kairi's house. "I have my sugar under control," Sora snapped indignantly. "Just because I knocked over a Christmas tree three years ago doesn't mean I'll do it again."

Riku rolled his eyes but continued on. "Of course you can buddy. But even so, you're banned from the sugar for tonight."

"Aww, but its New Year's Eve!" Sora protested, happy that they were almost halfway to the rooftop/lounge. "I promise I'll be good!"

Riku grabbed the door with his free hand and kept it open using his hip, holding it open for Sora to pass through. The two sat the crates down behind the bar and Sora collapsed on one of Kairi's plush red sofas while Riku sat on a bar stool, running his hands through his hair and looking away.

Sora watched his friend for a good couple of minutes before asking, "What's up with you? You've been ultra quiet these past few days. Is something bothering you?"

"Why do you think something is wrong with me?"

Sora stretched out lazily on the sofa and stared at the ceiling. "Because you've been quiet, you look like you haven't slept well in a few days and it just seems like you've got something on your mind. That's all."

Riku eyed Sora carefully. 'I should've known the blockhead would have picked up on something. Guess I'm not too good at hiding things these days.' But then again, Sora was always a bit perceptive. Not towards his own affairs, but with other people in general. He could always see when a person was a bit off.

"I mean," Sora yawned, "you don't have to tell me if you don't wanna, but I'm just a little concerned."

"How is it that you can be this insightful?" Riku groaned.

"'Cause I'm your best friend, that's why. Do you wanna talk about it?"

For the entire time since Jasmine and Riku formed their "partnership", Riku hadn't told a soul about their secret meetings and long phone conversations. They never spoke about their secrecy with each other and in fact neither one of them brought it up although they were both aware of the situation. It was just something that he and her never shared with anyone. Riku almost liked it better that way. Their relationship was unique and honestly, Riku didn't want it to change because he saw a side that no one saw of her and he wanted things to stay the way they were.

"I'll tell you about it, but you can't tell anyone else. Not even Kairi," he added in a whisper.

Sora's eyes shot open. "What did you do?"

Riku shut the doors and locked them tightly behind him. "I think I did something stupid."

The brunette sat up in his seat and leaned forward, anxious to hear the news. "Start explaining."

"It has to do with F—Jasmine," Riku had to catch himself and luckily, he didn't get the full sound out. "I think I did something wrong."

Sora rolled his eyes all the way to the back of his head. "Oh gosh, what did you do?"

Riku pulled up a chair and took a deep breath. There was almost no way he could tell his story without opening up a lot of doors. "We got into a bad fight over the phone—"

"Don't you two fight anyway? What makes this any different from normal? I thought she hated you."

"We don't hate each other," Riku explained slowly. "We just clash a lot. I told you before, I don't dislike her."

Sora's eyes widened in suspicion at Riku's confession. He knew that Riku didn't hate her, but Jasmine's feelings on the matter remained unknown. "Okay so you two got into it pretty bad. What then?"

"I took her to my house on Christmas to apologize and clear the slate. I didn't want her mad at me."

The brunette crossed his arms over his chest and smiled slyly. "Sounds to me like you're definitely fonder of her than you let on. I just _knew _that it was an act."

"We do argue genuinely, but she's just…_different_." Riku focused on the window overlooking the ocean instead of Sora. "But that's not what I was getting at."

"Okay, okay tell me what happened and maybe I'll understand."

"Fine, I'll tell you."

_Flashback_

_Riku had long since left Jasmine alone in his room. He helped his parents clear the table and he went to watch television while they went up to their bedroom to talk. Before they left, Riku heard Jasmine's name pop up and was sure they were going to talk about her. He ignored them however and watched one of those reality shows that drove him nuts. Not because he was interested in it, but because he needed something to numb his mind. His encounter with Jasmine was a bit more than he had expected._

"_I'd better make sure she's not knocked out in my bed."_

_He jumped to his feet and headed up the stairs to his bedroom. Riku knocked on the door but there was no answer. _

"_Faye, are you alright?"_

_There was no answer._

"_What's going on in there?"_

_Still there was no response._

_Riku cleared his throat. "I'll take your silence as you ignoring me so I'll just do what I want and enter. After all, it's my room."_

_Once he pushed open the door, Riku saw why there was silence. Jasmine was asleep on his bed. He looked at her and stared for the longest time. Never a day in his life had he ever seen Jasmine look so at peace. Her face was free of all tension and stress and her body was relaxed. Seeing her spread out like she was with her legs fully extended and an arm crossed over her chest with the Mickey Mouse doll in the other hand, Riku couldn't help but feel a slight heat rising to his face. _

_She looked absolutely flawless, like a doll meant to never be touched by human hands. He'd seen her in skirts and dresses before, but now, as he approached her, he got a full view of how long and perfectly sculpted her legs were. Her dark hair hung loosely around her shoulders and her chest rose and fell evenly, a fragment of skin on her chest showing because of the neckline._

_Riku took a seat at the end of the bed and watched her as she slept. "I can't believe I'm watching her sleep. If someone saw me they'd think I was a stalker." He turned his head away and grumbled. He never had a stronger feeling of wanting to be near a girl in his entire life than he did now._

'_She's not my girlfriend, she's not my friend, but she's my partner.' But even Riku couldn't keep this up with a straight face. Just going through that thought sounded too far-fetched for even him. _

_Suddenly, Riku felt the bed shake and he wondered if he had waken Jasmine up. She was still asleep as it turned out, but now she was shivering almost violently. He called out to her to see if she was having a nightmare, but she remained as she was. _

_Riku spotted a thick blue quilt his grandmother made him a long time ago on his chair and reached for it, draping it across Jasmine's body. He took a step back to see if it made any difference and watched. Unfortunately, she was still shaking. Not as much as before but she was still shivering._

'_What else am I supposed to do?' Riku had never once had to deal with this. Once someone was usually covered, their body took to the heat and they got better. Jasmine did not._

_His heart nearly skipped a beat as an idea popped into his head, but Riku battled with this mentally for almost a minute. 'She'll kill me if she wakes up.'_

_Jasmine squeaked a bit, startling Riku. Her face was no longer free of tension and she began curling into herself._

'_Don't let this woman wake up,' he prayed. _

_Riku then climbed into the bed with Jasmine and wrapped an arm around her middle, pulling her to him and locking them together to share body heat. She initially stiffened at the act (Riku all the while hoping that he wouldn't disturb her) but her body went slack after a few seconds. The squealing and shaking ceased and Jasmine had gone back to her peaceful state. _

_Even though he knew that she was fine, Riku did not want to move. He loved the way her body felt next to his and noticed that her body seemed to fit perfectly like she was made specifically for him. As always too, he loved her warmth. He was determined to not leave unless she was going to wake up._

_Riku looked down at her face once more and from this closeness, her skin looked to be as smooth and soft as an infant's. Without thinking, Riku propped himself on his elbows and stared at her cheek which seemed to be flushed with color for some unknown reason. He took his thumb and pulled back several strands of hair from her face. Before Riku realized what he was doing, Riku had kissed Jasmine softly on the cheek and then buried his face in her hair and relaxed until the time came when she started to stir._

_Until then, he'd enjoy the time he had with her. There was a chance that a moment like this would never happen again and he'd enjoy Jasmine in this state._

_End of Flashback_

"You KISSED Jasmine?" Sora blurted out, nearly flying off the sofa from his outburst.

Riku smacked his hand across Sora's mouth and silenced the sophomore. "Didn't I tell you to keep this quiet? You're gonna let the whole island know!" Once his irritation subsided, Riku then asked, "Are you going to be calm or am I going to have to duct tape your mouth shut?"

Sora's muffled "Yes" rang loud and clear and Riku pulled back his hand.

"Soooo," Sora drawled out, having a hard time comprehending what Riku had just told him, "you crawled into bed with her while she was sleeping because she was cold, and ended up kissing her?"

"On the cheek," Riku pointed out. "I don't know why the hell I did that. It just…happened, okay?"

'No wonder he was so quiet,' Sora thought. 'He couldn't keep his mind off what happened with Jasmine. Not that I blame him though.'

"Trust me, Sora, I didn't plan for any of that to happen."

"I believe you," Sora put up his hands to show that he wasn't thinking anything else otherwise. "I'm just shocked, that's all. I could've sworn that you two were far away from any type of relationship. I didn't know you felt so strongly about her." Sora slapped Riku on the back. "I'm proud of you. Jasmine's awesome."

"Dummy, what are you talking about?" Riku deadpanned. "We're nothing."

"Riku," Sora's voice took on a mildly serious tone. Riku seemed more out of whack than normal. But then again, ever since Jasmine came into their lives, he'd been a little bit different. "I don't think that all _that_ is nothing. There's obviously something going on."

"Trust me, me and Jasmine aren't heading down that path. It's like asking for a swift butt-kicking."

Sora seemed a bit puzzled by the last statement.

Riku sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Roxas will go berserk if he finds out what happened."

"Oh…" Sora was still well aware that Roxas was still into Jasmine and even though he and Riku were on good terms, if he were to find out about Jasmine and Riku together as intimately as they were (regardless to whether she was unconscious or not) there'd be a serious conflict. Sora scratched his head. "I almost forgot about Roxas." He looked to Riku with curiosity. "Is there any chance of them getting back together?"

Riku scoffed and frowned. "I highly doubt it. He might be crazy over Jasmine, but I'm not sure that he's on the same page as her. Why?" His eyes narrowed. "Do _you_ want them back together?"

"I don't know about Jasmine, but I know Roxas was happier when they were together." Sora then told him, "I think he's hoping for a second chance."

'He's not going to get it,' Riku thought darkly. "His chances are little to none. He's already screwed up with her and acted like a jerk. Jasmine's not the kind of girl to take too much crap from any man. End of story."

Sora chuckled and pointed to Riku. "I'm starting to wonder why she hasn't put you in your coffin yet if that's the case."

"Our relationship is different," Riku countered. "We understand that we piss each other off. I personally enjoy seeing her a bit flared up. She's the only girl to ever keep me on my toes. I like that."

"Are you still trying to act like you don't feel _something_ for her? From my end it sounds like you're definitely interested. But like you said before, Roxas will probably skin you alive if he finds out."

"And he won't. No one besides you knows this. Besides, Roxas is already treading on thin ice with Jasmine anyway. If he's still got this hope of being with her, he'll do anything in his power to keep from messing up. Roxas isn't much of a problem if he's kept in the dark."

Sora exhaled deeply. 'Something tells me that this is going to be a problem in the near future.'

* * *

While Jasmine brushed her hair into a neat ponytail, she picked up her vibrating cell phone without looking at the Caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Happy New Year's Eve, Jasmine," a familiar, unwanted voice greeted politely.

Jasmine's eyes hardened and she set the brush down on her dresser. "Hello, Vanitas. I'm a bit shocked to hear your voice on the other end of the line."

"My apologies for surprising you," Vanitas continued. "Your father gave me your number. I was hoping it wouldn't be too much of a problem."

Jasmine fell back in her desk chair and drummed her fingers against the desktop. "I don't see it as a problem. I'm just a little curious as to why _you're _calling me."

"Just to wish you the best on this day."

'That can't be all that he wants.' Jasmine cleared her throat. "It sounds as if you've got something else on your mind, Vanitas."

His dark chuckle sent chills through Jasmine's body. "As usual, you're right. There is a specific reason I called. What are you doing tonight?"

"I have a New Year's party with my friends," Jasmine answered quickly.

"Well your father is having several of his partners meet for a party of their own. He said that he expected you to come. I have plans of escorting you so that's the _real _reason for this call."

Jasmine frowned. 'My father _would _try to pull another last minute stunt when I want to be with my friends. He's such a jerk.' She crossed her legs. "Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, Vanitas but I've already made plans. It would be rude to break them at the last minute, regardless to whether they were made by my father or not. I hope you understand."

"For someone so polite, you've got such a bite to your words. If I were any other man, I'd be a bit hurt."

"Glad your feelings are intact."

Vanitas then said, "But I hate to disappoint you, but you really don't have a choice. Your father told me that if you do not come, he'd make sure you'd regret it."

Knowing her father so well, Jasmine knew that he would end up making her life miserable if she didn't show up. She was becoming quite tired of her father's threats but at this point, she'd rather put up with him for now. "What time am I supposed to be ready?"

"I'll be picking you up around nine thirty. I'll see you then." Vanitas' smile could almost be heard through the receiver before he hung up.

* * *

As the guest started arriving, Kairi ran around her lounge like a madwoman, checking to make sure that all her guests were well tended to. Once she made sure that another tray of food had been set out, she crashed on the couch beside Sora and reached into her pocket for her vibrating cell phone.

"Hello?" she answered breathlessly.

Sora snickered. "Gosh Kairi, you sound like you're gonna die."

Kairi hushed him playfully and listened. "Hi Kairi, it's me." Jasmine was on the other end.

"Oh hey, Jas, what's up?" The redhead glanced at the clock. It was almost 11:52 in the evening and the party started two hours ago. "Where are you?"

Jasmine's voice was monotone. "I'm with my parents. They called me out to spend the night with them at the last minute. I'm so sorry."

Kairi's smile faded away. "Hey, don't worry. It's not your fault." And then an idea came to mind. "Why don't you bring them out here? It'll be fun! I wanna meet your parents."

A dry laugh escaped from Jasmine's lips. "Oh I'm not too sure about that. But my father dragged me to one of his office parties. I can't get out of this even if I tried. I don't have my car either so I'm basically stuck."

"You have a car?" She asked quizzically.

"Oh I guess I never told you." Jasmine then said, "Really Kairi, I'm so sorry. Believe me, I'd much rather be with you guys tonight than here. I can't believe they dragged me out here even though I told them I had other plans." She sucked her teeth. "Anyway I'll let you get back to your party. I'll talk to you later, Kairi."

Kairi twisted a tendril of red hair around her index finger. "Yeah, how about tomorrow or something? School starts in a few days anyway. Let's get together."

"Sounds like a plan. Bye, Kairi. Tell everyone I'm sorry."

"No one will be mad. A family thing is more important. But call me tomorrow, yes?"

"I will. Bye."

Kairi hung up the phone and a slight pout took over her lips. Sora tapped her shoulder. "What's up?"

"Jasmine isn't coming. A family thing popped up and she couldn't get out of it."

"Aww man, that sucks. I was hoping she could come," Sora sulked.

Riku and Roxas walked by while talking and laughing with one another. "What's with the pout, Sora? Mad because we hid the cider from you?"

"No, Jasmine's not coming," he told them.

Roxas' cheery expression faded to depression while Riku frowned.

"And why is that?" Riku asked, slipping slightly in masking his disappointment.

"Some family deal," Kairi told them. "She said she was sorry."

Roxas' shoulders sagged. "That tanks. I was hoping she could come."

Selphie, who was standing by the television with Tidus and Naminé with their parents called them over. "You guys, the countdown is starting! Hurry up!"

Sora pulled Kairi to her feet. "Let's go before Selphie strangles us. I want to actually _see _the New Year."

The pair walked off, hand in hand towards the rest of the group while Riku and Roxas stayed behind. "Why do you look so down?" Riku asked casually.

Roxas grabbed another glass of cider. "I just wanted to see her. That's all."

Riku turned his back to Roxas. "You really miss that girl don't ya?"

Nervously, Roxas scratched his cheek. "That obvious?"

Riku then gave him a haughty stare. "Pretty much. Were you trying to make a move on her?"

"Huh?"

"Oh come on, Roxas. You know the whole New Year's Eve stories of the Destiny Islands. If you kiss the person you want to be with when the clock strikes midnight, you'll be granted happiness in the New Year with them. Is _that _what you were hoping for?"

Roxas' face turned pink. "No, that's not what I would've done. I don't want to piss her off." His shoulders sagged.

"Look, just let things happen as they're supposed to happen," Riku advised him. "If it's supposed to happen between you two, it will. Point blank. But if it doesn't, you've got to be able to let her go and move on with your life. You can't go chasing some girl forever." He then looked at Roxas suspiciously. "Unless you—"

"I don't love her!" Roxas said hastily. "It's not that deep, swear."

"Good, because that, my friend, would be all bad on your part."

"No, it's not like that."

Riku patted the blond on the shoulder and downed the rest of his cider as the countdown began. 'I can't wait for the new year.'

* * *

Jasmine held the phone in her hand, standing in an empty hallway near a window overlooking the ocean. She stared at it for a long time, wishing that she was with her friends that actually cared for her instead of her parents and their associates.

She reached into the pocket of her black halter dress and shoved her phone away and leaned against the wall. 'I can't believe this.'

"You're missing the party," Vanitas, looking as business-like as ever in another black suit, said as he approached Jasmine.

She gave him an evil, half-lidded stare. "What makes you think I actually want to be here?"

He laughed and shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, looking over his shoulder at the people still at the party. "Your body language tells it all. Why don't you relax? You might actually enjoy yourself."

Jasmine's eyes screamed defiance. She then leaned her elbows on the windowsill and focused on the turbulent ocean waters. "Vanitas, I'm not going to mislead you. I don't enjoy this place and," she paused before taking a deep breath, "if you hadn't noticed and I'm quite sure you have, I don't care for either of my parents. So trying to socialize with people I don't like when I've been threatened doesn't necessarily improve my mood."

Vanitas stood behind Jasmine, his cool breath trickling down her neck as he spoke. "Of course I've caught on. You don't seem to give me enough credit."

"That's right; I forgot who I'm talking to." She whipped around to face him, initially shocked by how close they were to each other. "You've managed to charm my father's partners, my mother and my father."

The other room went ballistic with excitement from the New Year countdown reaching zero and Vanitas checked to make sure no one was looking. "Too bad it doesn't seem to be working on you." He placed his hands at her sides, preventing her from moving away.

Jasmine, trying her best to not look fazed by this, faced him eye to eye. "I'm hard to please and impress. I'm _not _sorry about that."

Vanitas looked her up and down, smirking smugly as he did so. When his eyes returned to hers, he said, "Mr. Silva's daughter is already more interesting than I initially thought. I can't wait to spend the next year getting to know you."

"Why don't you take a step back? How would it look if you were all over the boss's daughter?"

He leaned forward and his cheek was almost touching hers. "Let's get this straight right now. I do whatever I want and I don't care about what other people say. I do what I want and get what I want. I'm just doing what I have to do to secure my future."

As much as it pained Jasmine to admit it, he and her had the same goal: to secure a future for themselves. But there was something almost dark about himself that was beyond unsettling. "I'm guessing you're the type to do whatever you want to get it, huh?"

"Exactly," Vanitas replied.

"Well don't expect much from me," she replied sharply.

Within the blink of an eye, Vanitas grabbed her shoulders and pinned Jasmine to the wall and she gasped. He held her chin in place and glared wickedly while he softly turned her face to the right. Jasmine was frozen by the fire in his eyes and the strength of his grip. Vanitas put a fear into Jasmine more intense than anything she had ever felt before, even more so than Halloween night.

"I don't think you understand who you're messing with right now," he hissed. "I'll be around for a while so you'd better get used to me. But I must admit," Vanitas then tilted her chin up and ran his fingers down her cheek, along her jaw-line, stopping until his pale fingers loosely wrapped themselves around her neck, "you're the only woman who's been able to stand up to me and actually talk back. Your rebellion is something unheard of in the world your parents and I live in. The women are meek individuals, only eye candy. Women like that are a dime a dozen but you're different."

Under normal circumstances, Jasmine would have struck him away by now or at least lashed out, but with Vanitas it was different. The fear that lurked underneath his words was frightening beyond belief.

"And I know you'll probably hate me after all this, but I'll have you under my thumb like everyone else."

"You're not going to get me. I'm not some trick you think you can control," Jasmine argued, fierceness returning.

"Don't make it easy on me," Vanitas replied softly, intentionally brushing his lips against hers as he spoke, noticing that she got a chill from the act. "Then I'll lose interest." He took a step back and watched as she sped off towards the party. "Happy New Year, Jasmine."

Once Jasmine was back at the party, she searched the room for Elena, Reno or Rude. She spotted the trio at the back and dashed to them.

"Take me home, right now," she pleaded to Reno.

"What's wrong kid?" He asked, sounding more concerned than usual, noticing that she looked shaken. "Did something happen?"

"I feel light-headed. Please take me home."

Elena looked around for her parents and saw them with Vanitas, laughing and joking with each other. "Did you tell—"

"No," she tugged on Reno's arm. "I just have to get out of here. _Please_?"

Rude nodded his head and handed Reno a set of keys. "We'll stay here. Take Ms. Jasmine now."

Reno took Jasmine by the arm and escorted her out of the building. Once they were a good measure away from everyone standing outside, Reno whispered, "What happened back there, kid? You look like you saw a ghost."

He opened the back door for Jasmine and she climbed into the passenger's seat. Once her seatbelt was secured, Jasmine sank in her seat.

"Where to?"

"To 352nd and Twilight," she instructed him, still recovering from shock. When Reno pulled off, Jasmine started explaining herself. "What all do you know about Vanitas?"

Reno exhaled. "Some kid your father started looking out for. Apparently from what I hear, he's a genius, just like you."

Jasmine took in the information and committed it to memory. She always hated the word "genius" when it applied to her; she thoroughly believed that it was her hard work that got her to where she was, not her IQ. Still she listened on.

"The thing with Vanitas, and don't tell your old man I said this, is that the kid seems like he's got some ulterior motives. Like he's got something planned. I don't know what it is or what he wants, but I don't really like him. Did you two clash?"

She remembered how his lips brushed against hers and she started to shake. "You could say that. I just need to talk to someone."

"On our way." Reno took off faster down the streets at a speed Jasmine could've swore wasn't legal.

Riku pulled out his cell phone just as everyone took a seat in front of the television set.

"_I'm on my way to the party." _The message came from Jasmine.

Riku smiled slightly. _"You were able to escape your parents? Nice one." _

"_I just had to get out of there."_

"_I'll be waiting."_

Selphie jumped up and squealed with excitement as she held the remote. "It's time for the premiere of Demyx's new music video "Ghost"! I can't wait!"

"You're so obsessed!" Tidus yelled, taking a huge bite of cheesecake.

Naminé warned Tidus, "You'll end up in a ditch if you carry this any further. Quit while you're ahead."

As soon as the video came on, the girls all went silent while the guys carried on with their conversations quietly. It was a rock/pop sound with a dark undertone and Selphie and Kairi danced along with the intro for the song.

It opened up with Demyx singing in his bedroom standing by a window staring at his bed.

"He's so hot," Selphie screamed as they got a close up of his face.

"Dear god," Roxas moaned. "Fangirls."

Then there was a black and white shot with Demyx on the bed in jeans and a tank with a girl in a spaghetti strapped top and short pajama bottoms. The camera crew was strategic in not fully showing the girl's face, only showing her smallest features like her neck, jaw-line, lips and nose.

"I don't know who that girl is, but she's got a nice body," Tidus said. "That's the one thing about him: he always has the sexiest girls in his vids."

Then the couple pointed to the ceiling and Demyx grabbed her hand, sliding a simple band around the girl's ring finger and she smiled, kissing lightly on the cheek and embracing him.

"It'd be nice if we could see her face though," Roxas added, now looking on with interest. The girl looked oddly familiar.

The next part of the video (now back to full color) was of Demyx in a nightclub with some of his friends but staring at the dancefloor where he spots a group of girls. The color scheme then goes back to black and white as if he's having another flashback and he sees the same girl as earlier dancing in the middle of the crowd but her eyes are still hidden from view. Demyx sings about the memories of the past and stares at her lovingly while the main girl continues to dance by herself in the crowd while the color scheme changes again and again, the girl disappearing from his sight.

The chorus came up and it's him back in his bedroom but in black and white, the girl takes off running towards the kitchen and he chases after her. He then pins her to the refrigerator and laces their fingers together and their noses are touching. Now there is a clear shot of the lovers and Tidus, who had looked away briefly, turned back to the television and dropped his fork to the floor.

"Holy crap! That's JASMINE!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "She's the video girl!"

Roxas dropped his cell phone, Selphie, Kairi and Naminé gasped. Sora's jaw unhinged as did Roxas' and Riku almost choked on his soda.

"Are you sure?" Sora ran up to the television for a shot with Demyx lifting Jasmine up and her cradling his face.

"Look!" Tidus pointed to the screen. "Same skin, hair, eyes, legs! That's Jasmine for sure!"

Demyx and Jasmine, walked along the beach outside his house holding hands while he (going back to color) watched on and shook his head, trying to snap himself out of it.

"I can't believe this…." Selphie breathed.

Naminé pointed to the screen. "She looks amazing though. I can't believe she got a chance to do this."

Riku couldn't tear his eyes away from the television. It was like he was in a trance.

Demyx sat down by himself at a club/restaurant and looked down onto the floor below . His lyrics became heavier and the sorrow in his face was much more present as the song picked up. He looked down on the dancefloor and had yet another flashback and it was Jasmine and a group of girls dancing to a well choreographed routine that was definitely challenging. Yet she danced effortlessly and despite the trained dancers in the background, all eyes were on her.

As Demyx moved to the end of the song, the scene cut to him and Jasmine back in the house screaming and yelling at each other. She was storming through the house, tossing her things in a backpack while he tried to stop her and pleaded while she tore away from him. Jasmine threw all her things in a car and Demyx grabbed her wrists, yelling at her to stop it.

It then cut to Demyx looking disheveled and worn down. Dressed in a black suit, he clutched his head and practically screamed out the notes in agony. Back to the scene with them arguing, Jasmine got into the car and sped off down the rainy, slick street. Demyx paced around on the lawn and watched her disappear. Several seconds later, Jasmine was shown in the car, eyes bloodshot while she was shaken and eventually she came to a stoplight. Once the light changed to green and Jasmine pulled out, a car came speeding and crashed into her, flipping the car over several times. Demyx heard the crash and ran down the street only to come to the wreckage where he yelled out. He burst the windows and looked inside to see blood everywhere, Jasmine's body not being seen.

Demyx was back in his home, holding his hands on the wall to support himself when he sees a ghostly version of Jasmine, walking through the house. Several shots of the hospital, Jasmine being rushed in on a gurney and her hand going limp flashed by in an instant as were all of Demyx's memories of her from the bedroom, to the beach, to the clubs and all together until he ends up at a cemetery, standing over what is believed to be her tombstone.

Kairi covered her mouth. "Oh my…"

"This is so sad," Naminé whispered.

Suddenly, Jasmine appeared before Demyx, dressed in a wispy, strapless white dress and she pulled him to his feet. She mouthed "I'll always love you" before disappearing once again. Demyx ended back in his bed, barely conscious with Jasmine standing over him. Her long fingers ran along his cheek and he began to come to.

Riku was going through a mixture of emotions. He'd never seen Jasmine look so fair, so soft, not even when they were together. She was so loving, so affectionate and part of him wondered how she became such a good actress. A part of him prayed that she was only acting.

Demyx then grabbed Jasmine's face and the two engaged in a short, yet sweet kiss.

The room burst into howls of shock while the video continued on. Demyx woke up and Jasmine was no longer there. When he rolled over on his side, he came across a large, angel feather that looked like it was from one of her earrings. Demyx held it in his hand and as he stared at it, the video faded to black.

At that moment, Jasmine entered the party with a smile on her face. "Happy New Year everyone! Sorry I'm so late."

Everyone in the room craned their necks around to stare at her. Jasmine, confused by this looked to the television and saw the credits for Demyx's music video rolling.

All the color drained from her face. "I guess you saw the video."

Selphie scrambled to her feet and practically bulldozed over everyone to get to Jasmine where she clutched the girl's shoulders and shook her. "Was that REALLY you? You're the girl in the video?"

"Guilty," Jasmine admitted bashfully.

"It was awesome!" Tidus cheered loudly. "Not only was it a badass song, but you looked great!"

"I can't believe I forgot that it was premiering tonight. Now I'm embarrassed," Jasmine whispered.

"Why are you embarrassed? The song was epic," Kairi threw her arms up. "The video was amazing. You killed all the dance moves. It was hot. End of story. There's nothing for you to be embarrassed about at all."

Selphie and Kairi led her to one of the vacant sofas. "You know you're gonna have to tell us all about it, right?" Kairi crossed her legs while Selphie turned down the volume on the television set.

"I expected to," Jasmine said, "Maybe not so quickly but I knew it was coming."

"I can't believe you _kissed _him on-camera in front of the entire world," Naminé added cautiously, noticing the strange look in Roxas' face.

Jasmine sighed. 'I can't believe I went through it either. At least Demyx is pretty chill and he understands that it was for the job. There's no chance of anything happening between us.' She cleared her throat. "Let's just say I didn't imagine it happening. He's really nice, but I'm gonna have to say that there's no underlying chemistry there."

As they continued to talk, Sora excused himself from the group and joined Riku on the sofa. "I saw that look on your face," he whispered while placing his hands behind his head as Riku absently cracked his knuckles. "Are you still going to pretend that you don't have some sort of feelings for Jasmine?"

Riku deliberately avoided looking at her as she carried out her conversations with her friends. 'I can't deny it: watching her that entire time, I couldn't help wishing I was Demyx.'

"Whatever you do is entirely up to you. All I'm saying is be careful. If you're going to pursue Jasmine, you need to think wisely about this. It took half a school year for you and her to start talking like normal humans, but if you wanna go for it I suggest you start working on it now." He nodded his head towards Roxas who replaced Kairi's spot on the couch. "I guarantee you, you're not the only one who's going to be chasing her now."

"It's up to Jasmine who she'd want to be with, if she wants to be with anyone at all," Riku replied, clutching onto the soda can.

"And if you want her like I _know _you do, I'd start working on something now." He then laughed. "It's funny, I never thought I'd be the one pushing you to chase a girl. And with Jasmine's situation, you don't know how long she'll be around. With all this, I'm sure she's gonna start working and with all the extra studying on top of it, she'll be super busy. Unless you figure out something quick, I don't know if even _you'll_ be able to get her." Sora jumped to his feet. "But you're Riku, this shouldn't be too much of a challenge."

'Too bad Faye is the one person who challenges me,' Riku thought, letting the music from the speakers clear his head. 'This is gonna be a long semester.'


	31. Chapter 31: New Term, New Problems

**Author's Note: **Yay! Part two! Part two! Ah I'm so excited! I hope you guys are having a wonderful holiday season. And a belated Merry Christmas to you all :)

So part two is officially here and that means that all the serious drama is coming up within the next several chapters. Thank you everyone who read, faved and for all the reviewers **Frooky90**, **Kanika Meskhenet**, **Sayonara Yasashii Akumu**, **rzhollis**, **Tiryn**, **Khaotic Kal**, **ventus4ever**, **Clumsy Clouds **and **animechick247**. You guys are amazing!

I think it would be a good idea to expect some more characters (OCs as well as characters from the Final Fantasy/ Kingdom Hearts Universe) with a couple more minor plotlines. I won't tell you what they are yet but you'll see soon! And for those of you who wish for the Jasmine/FayexRiku relationship escalation, trust me, that's not far off :) Take care and happy reading!

-Skye

* * *

She slipped on a pair of thigh-high white socks, followed by her royal blue converse tennis shoes and tied her hair into its usual bun. Being at Rising Suns Academy, it was quite clear that none of the faculty and staff worried about what shoes their students wore, namely the girls. With her classmates walking around in their Prada pumps and Steve Madden heels, she figured no one would stop her from wearing tennis shoes this late in the game. Once in the mirror, she slid her glasses onto her face and sighed. "Just like day one," Jasmine said to herself as she reached for her backpack.

Jasmine reached for her blazer and slid her iPod into the pocket before slipping her earphones in so she could listen to music while she walked to school. Given that the parking permit was so expensive, she didn't see the need to actually bring her car. She'd walked for an entire term and she could keep on going as she did now.

As Jasmine ran through the house, she passed by Tifa in the kitchen.

The brunette stopped chopping the potato and smiled. "Have a great day at school, Jasmine. I'll be home right after so you could tell me how the day goes."

"You act like it's my first day of school," Jasmine laughed as she kissed Tifa on the cheek. "I'm a big girl now. I can handle myself."

Tifa waved to get Jasmine's attention before she went out the side door. "By the way, you got a call from Angela. She wants you to call her this afternoon."

"Got it, Tifa. Bye!"

And then she was gone.

'I think she was actually smiling as she left the house today,' Tifa mused to herself. 'I remember when she was frowning on her way out.' She set the knife down and washed off her hands. 'This is a nice change of pace.'

* * *

Kairi looked over her shoulder and spotted Jasmine. "Morning!" she called loudly with a brilliant smile plastered on her face.

Jasmine, who had been busy listening to her music, looked up and saw her friends standing by Sora's locker. She jogged over to the group and adjusted the strap on her messenger bag. "Morning, everyone. Did you get your classes sorted out?"

"I need to switch around my physics class with something else," Tidus told her. "If they want me to fail royally, they'll keep me there." He wrapped an arm around Jasmine's shoulders. "Then I could kiss my blitzball career goodbye." Tidus' head sank and he let out a sigh of defeat.

Selphie rolled her eyes. "You've got to find something other than blitzball and girls to fulfill you. It's not healthy."

Tidus scoffed. "And you fantasizing about the guys from your dramas is any better? Please…."

Naminé grinned and rested her head on Roxas' shoulder. "Can you two not try to argue before the school year gets started? The bell hasn't even rung yet."

"Aww, me and Selphie are only playing around." Tidus gave Jasmine's shoulder a squeeze. "You know that, don't you Jasmine?"

"Of course Tidus." Once Tidus removed his arm, Jasmine spotted Riku standing at the back of the group and inhaled deeply. "Good morning, Riku," she greeted stiffly.

Nonchalantly, Riku shrugged his shoulders and grunted.

'Guess some things won't change.' Jasmine then noticed a group of students staring at her as they passed by. It wasn't the same stare as earlier in the year when they found out that she didn't come from an affluent family, but a stare of curiosity that was laced with a bit of excitement.

"What's their problem?" Jasmine asked Kairi once the students were out of earshot.

"I heard them talking about Demyx's video," the redhead explained. "From what I've been hearing, you're quite the celebrity and talk of the school now."

Jasmine grimaced. "Wonderful."

"It's not so bad," Tidus offered. "Think of all of them who probably looked down on you. Now you're a celebrity." The blond whispered, "Do you know how impossible it is to get close to Demyx? He's one of the most private celebrities out there. Not even the paparazzi can catch him. Then, here comes this new girl who not only gets to meet him, but also ends up starring in a music video with him."

Tidus' logic was undeniable. But also a truth appeared before Jasmine. 'Either they're gonna start liking me, or they're gonna hate me now more than ever.'

"I don't like where this is going," Jasmine placed her earphones in her purse.

"Don't be so down about it, Jasmine." Selphie tried to cheer the junior up. "Think of all the guys that'll be dying to ask you out."

Roxas rolled his eyes while Jasmine covered her ears as the bell to head to class rang. "Even better," she said sarcastically.

"Let's just get to homeroom before we're late," Roxas nudged Jasmine's shoulder. "Tidus, get to class. Don't want you grounded again."

The blond indignantly cried out, "It happens once and I'm branded for the rest of the year! Not cool!"

* * *

While their homeroom teacher passed out the schedules for the next term, Roxas turned to Jasmine. "How many classes do you have this time around?"

"Unfortunately, seven," she explained sadly.

Roxas' eyes widened. "You have a zero period? Are you insane?"

"Don't look at me on that one," she blew her bangs out of her face, "My parents called the school and picked out my schedule two weeks ago. All academics and no electives, I'm telling you they're trying to put me in a hospital."

Once the homeroom teacher walked by Jasmine's desk and set down her schedule, she picked it up and upon closer examination, found out that her schedule was totally switched around. "I don't understand this at all."

Roxas looked over at her schedule. "What's up?"

"My schedule isn't what it was set out to be. Everything is wrong."

He asked for the slip of paper and scanned over the schedule. "Wow, you've actually gotten into some of the better classes with some of the better teachers. I'm jealous. Although, we don't have any classes together this time around…"

"Really? Well that sucks." Jasmine took it back. "We have nutrition, lunch and homeroom together. No big deal."

The blond boy's expression darkened. "Yeah, I guess so."

"The only good thing about today is that classes are only twenty minutes long and we can leave after we pick up our books and check in."

"Is that how today is supposed to work?" Jasmine breathed a sigh of relief. The day was already looking good.

She looked behind her and Riku chatted with a couple of girls. Jasmine frowned a little bit at the sight and turned around. 'He's still the player I remember him to be.'

The bell rang off loudly and Jasmine gathered her things. "I'll see you at nutrition, Roxas."

"Yeah, bye Jasmine." Roxas then pulled her into a hug before taking off.

Riku then noticed Jasmine leaving and said a quick "goodbye" to the girls he was talking to, flashing a charming grin as he left, leaving the girls flustered and blushing. With a few quick strides, he caught up to her.

"Off to class, Nerd?"

Jasmine turned up her nose at him. "Good morning to you too, Riku. Shouldn't you be tending to your fangirls or something? I believe you left them standing there."

"They'll survive without me. They did it all throughout winter vacation." He grinned. "I'm guessing they just missed me, that's all."

"And you're gonna torture them? You should go back and turn on more of that charm that I don't seem to understand." Jasmine stopped in the middle of the hall and whipped around. "At any rate, shouldn't you be heading off to class or something productive?"

Riku smirked. Jasmine couldn't help but find it somewhat attractive on him at the moment. "I'm on my way to Pre-Calculus. It's this way."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're taking Pre-Calculus too?"

"That's right," he said smugly. "In addition to being an athlete, I'm also fairly intelligent. Don't look so shocked."

Jasmine turned on her heel and sped off down the hall. "Oh joy," she called sarcastically, "I'll be stuck with you through one of my most difficult classes. Now my day is complete."

"Oh come on, you know you enjoy my company," Riku teased, walking along at a leisurely pace.

"Just shut up!" Jasmine yelled. "I'm trying to enjoy my day."

"And I'm not brightening it up?" He threw back at her.

Her response was a loud groan that could be heard above all the other students.

* * *

Jasmine found her escape by her locker during lunchtime. So far, things had gone by smoothly. She actually landed in some interesting classes and even had Naminé in a few of them so it wasn't like she was alone. Jasmine did find it odd though that Riku was in every single one of them though.

'So bizarre.' She opened her locker and threw some of her notebooks inside. Jasmine was so into her own thoughts that she didn't even notice the two boys approaching her until they were at her locker door.

"Hey," they greeted casually.

Jasmine eyed them both. 'I think they're on the blitzball team with Sora and the group.' Once she shut her locker, she said greeted them with a cautious "Hello".

"You must be Jasmine." The one who was speaking was a tall, attractive and well built senior with spiky auburn hair and dark eyes while his friend, who was slightly shorter but just as athletically built with short blond hair. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Mako, and this is Jordan."

"Nice to meet you, can I help you with something?" she asked politely.

Mako smiled a charming smile. "I was just wondering something," he began. "Were you the girl in that "Ghost" video? You know, the one with Demyx?"

"Yes?" This came out more as a question than an actual response.

Jordan slapped Mako's shoulder. "I told you it was her."

"We have the same Physics class," Mako explained. "I didn't get to say hi to you earlier because the instructor was going off at the mouth."

'He was talking about the syllabus,' Jasmine thought to herself. 'Duh.'

"I just wanted to tell you," Mako stepped forward, "that I'm not trying to be a creeper, but you looked so beautiful. I just had to tell you that."

"Oh," Jasmine was not expecting this and she blushed slightly. "Thank you."

"Anyway," he extended his hand out towards Jasmine, "I hope to be able to work with you."

His hand lingered longer than Jasmine had anticipated. "Why not?"

Mako pulled back his hand and tapped her shoulder as he and Jordan left. "Have a nice day, Jasmine."

Jasmine shook her hand out. Even though Mako was a blitzball player, his grip was unusually strong. 'Well that was weird. Oh well, least it wasn't a creeper move.'

* * *

Once Jasmine reached her second to last class of the day, she moaned once she saw a familiar silver-haired boy sitting in her Geography class.

"I don't believe this. I have to deal with you again?" Jasmine stepped into the classroom and eyed the boy dangerously as he lounged in his seat.

"Guess so, Video Girl," he replied, patting the empty desk next to him.

Jasmine slammed her books down. "Don't call me that. That nickname has some pretty bad connotations with it."

"Why are you so tense?" Riku asked lazily. "As long as you weren't swinging around on some grimy pole in clear heels, a bra and a thong, you're fine. Just in these videos, remember to stay on the sexy side and steer clear from the slutty end."

For some reason, Jasmine's face flushed red. "You're so crude."

"At least from me, you'll get honesty. Not like some people nowadays."

She twisted in her seat away from him and forced herself to watch the clock instead of deal with Riku's piercing gaze.

"Have I made you uncomfortable?"

"Heh," she scoffed, "I wouldn't give you the satisfaction."

Riku then got up from his seat and leaned over Jasmine. "What's wrong? You need to loosen up a bit."

"I'd loosen up a bit if you'd leave me alone. I don't do slutty. I stick to jeans and t-shirts and studying."

"And yet on worldwide television you're dancing around in clubs in dresses, short shorts and being sensual with rockstars," he argued. "Good girls and sneakerheads have a naughty side too," Riku chuckled into her ear.

Jasmine could feel the hair on the back of her neck rising. Not only because she was freaked out, but also because of how soft and alluring his voice was. "You should sit down before I nail you with sexual harassment." The fact that she could acknowledge this without hesitation was beginning to frighten her.

Riku ran his thumb over her cheek. "I don't see you complaining too much. Besides, it's not harassment if you _like _it." He took his seat and waited for class to begin, watching with mild interest as Jasmine tried to pull herself together and look unfazed when in actuality, he could see her slipping.

'I love it when I win,' he thought triumphantly, taking Jasmine's blush as his prize.

* * *

The only class of the day that Jasmine didn't have with Riku, her last class for the day, ended up being a position in the school's attendance office. Thankfully, it seemed to be a quiet, calm position checking students in and out for the day and there would be a lot of down time.

As Jasmine sat at the front desk in the office, sorting through her syllabi for all her classes, she found herself smiling. "At least it seems like I'll have an easier load than last time around."

"God! I can't believe I got stuck in here for the end of the day!" a female student grunted. "Why can't I just go home like everyone else?"

"Because," this voice belonged to a member of the office staff, "in case you forgot, you flunked a class last semester and need the credits."

The girl huffed. "Well this is just great." Once the door flew open, Jasmine's eyes widened and her stomach dropped.

Larxene glared viciously at the junior girl. "Well look at who we have here: it's the slut turned video whore. You're moving up in the world, aren't you?" The blond sashayed over to the empty student desk a few feet away from Jasmine's. "Guess we'll be trapped here for the semester. Aren't you glad to see me?"

Jasmine inwardly screamed at the sight of the loose blond girl. 'There goes my peaceful semester.'


	32. Chapter 32: Hidden Talents

**Author's Note: **Yay for chapter 32! I'm gonna keep this short. I wanna thank all those who CONTINUOUSLY read and review and fave me and the actual story itself. I'm grinning like the Cheshire Cat over here haha. I wanna thank **fictionalcharacterwish, Khaotic Kal, rzhollis, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, ventus4ever, Frooky90, Tiryn, and animechick247**.

Well here's the next chapter and there's going to be a lot going on here which will help set up a few things for the future. Enjoy and tell me what you think! Take care!

-Skye

* * *

As Larxene typed away on her cell phone Jasmine sat at her desk (which she had moved a few feet further away from Larxene's) and worked on her homework. Like always, Jasmine had been the one busy checking the students in and out for the day. Larxene rarely showed up for her duties so it was up to the younger girl to finish their tasks.

"There you go," Jasmine handed a mother the green slip to check out for the day, "just turn this slip in to the woman at the front desk tomorrow morning before classes start and you'll be good to go."

Also, like usual, the woman took the slip without even so much as a passing glance at Jasmine and turned on her heel and went out the door.

"It's like they can smell peasant trash," Larxene sneered.

Jasmine ignored the comment and went back to her homework.

"I mean, you really do stick out like a sore thumb," Larxene continued, tossing the phone into her purse. "I feel kind of sorry for you."

Jasmine clicked her pen in an attempt to drown out Larxene's annoying chatter. 'Either she doesn't know that I don't care, or she just doesn't care. What a witch…'

Larxene stood up and walked over to Jasmine's desk. The dark-haired junior looked up. "Can I help you?"

Larxene smiled evilly. "I know your type."

"Beg pardon?" Jasmine could feel a possible conflict.

The blond tapped Jasmine's stack of books. "You heard me. You're one of those girls, those overachievers. I can't stand them," she rolled her eyes. "They throw themselves into their books in order to avoid everything else in their lives. It's like they're too scared to go out into the world and just deal with things."

Jasmine sat back and closed her book. "I absolutely _love _how you're trying to analyze me," she spat sarcastically. "But for the record, I enjoy our talks more when you're _not _talking."

Larxene then said, "You're such a stuck up prude."

"No," Jasmine corrected, hoping that these next two minutes stuck in the school would end quickly. "I'm just someone who actually cares about my education."

"Because you're trying to get out of whatever project home you live in? I do commend you for attempting to break out of your bleak little world."

It would seem as though time wasn't going by fast enough for Jasmine. "And I find it a little sad that someone born into wealth throws away a perfectly good opportunity to raise their status and screw around with…" Jasmine narrowed her eyes, "everything."

Larxene laughed, unaffected by Jasmine's double edged words. "Oh I know you've heard all about me. I'm sure I've got quite a rep. Listen here," her tone darkened considerably, "I actually live my life to the fullest and I don't really care what some little snot like you says or thinks of me."

'Why won't this clock move any faster?'

"But," she leaned over Jasmine's desk, "I must admit that I do like your spunk. If only you'd use it right, you could get far in this school."

"Would you kindly get out of my face?" Jasmine hissed.

"Whoa," Larxene chuckled, "you see? This is what I'm talking about. If you'd loosen up, you'd be fine."

"I'd loosen up if you'd leave me alone." Jasmine was still unnerved by the fact that Larxene hadn't moved away from her.

Larxene rolled her eyes and watched Jasmine dart for the door when the bell rang. 'That girl seriously needs to get laid or something.'

* * *

Sora ran up to Jasmine as she collected her things for the day. "Ready to go?"

She let out a heavy sigh. "Hey there, Sora. Please tell me that the day is over. I just had to deal with Larxene today and she gave me so much crap."

The brunette's eyes widened. "She actually went to class?" he asked incredulously.

Jasmine laughed. Sora was always right on time when it came to cheering someone up. It was probably one of his hidden talents. "Yup, and as usual she gave me crap. But enough about me; how are you?"

"Pretty good," Sora smiled brightly and leaned against the lockers. "We have our first pre-season match in two weeks and I'm stoked!"

"You can believe I'll be there," Jasmine slammed her door just in time to hear her phone ringing. "Hold up a second…" She accepted the call and placed the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Jasmine!" It was Demyx on the other line.

"How are you?" she asked, equally cheery.

"Victoria's running me mad, but I'm chill. What are you up to?"

"Nothing as of yet," Jasmine and Sora walked to his locker. "What's up?"

"Not much. I'm actually bored now," he laughed.

"I thought you said you were busy."

Demyx feigned innocence. "I did not." He whispered, "Vicky's in the room."

"Oh, I got you."

"Anyway, wanna get ice cream? Your guardian Tifa told me that you walked to school, so I was gonna pick you up."

"Random ice cream fit, huh?" She waited as she came to Sora's locker. "Well I don't have anything planned so why not? I needed to talk to you about something. Victoria called me and said you were gonna tell me something."

"That's right!" He sing-songed. "But I'm really craving mint and chip so can we go? Please? Besides, business is a lot more fun when you're on a sugar high."

"Probably. Just give me a second to change my clothes. I don't want to be walking around with you in my school uniform. That would be way too obvious."

Demyx then said, "I was gonna suggest you do that. See ya in fifteen minutes!"

"Alright. Bye!" Jasmine replied as she shut off her phone. By the time she had finished her conversation, Sora had already taken his belongings out of his locker.

"Who was that?" He asked.

Jasmine looked over her shoulder, wondering if anyone was around to hear her. She leaned over and said, "It was Demyx."

"The singer? You have his number?" Sora almost yelled.

She placed a finger to her lips. "Yeah, I needed it when we were rehearsing. I've got to take care of some business."

Sora threw his backpack over his shoulder. "Wow, is he asking you to do another video with him?"

"I don't know. Can we go back to my locker? I need to ditch my uniform."

"Sure thing." Sora and Jasmine walked side by side. "I think it's really cool that you got to be in a video with Demyx."

"Truthfully," she smiled ruefully, "I still feel like I'm gonna wake up any second now."

"Why?"

"I just didn't expect something like that to happen to me."

Once they reached Jasmine's locker, she fished out a pair of jeans, a white tank top, the leather jacket and silver gloves Riku bought her.

"Those gloves are sweet," Sora said, admiring them. "Where'd you get them?"

"Riku actually gave me the gloves for Christmas," she answered absently.

Sora had to hold back the smile that was threatening to spread across his face. "Oh, I see…"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Uh," he tried to focus on something else, "I was just…uh, never mind me. They're pretty cool, so is the jacket."

"He bought that too." Jasmine closed her locker door as soon as she was sure she had everything. "I wanted to tell him to stop, but I know as soon as I open my mouth to tell him to not buy me anything, I'm sure he'd get mad at me. I don't have the patience to deal with that kind of argument."

"So…" Sora figured that this would be a good way to open up the subject of Jasmine and Riku's friendship. It wouldn't be too abrupt, just well-timed. "You guys must be friends then, right?"

Jasmine closed her eyes. "You could say that."

"I mean, you don't hate each other? It looks like you wanna kill each other all the time."

She lowered her voice. "Truth be told, we do argue a lot and he does get on my nerves. But, I guess you can say that he's growing on me."

'Yes!' Sora cheered mentally.

"Between you and me, he's got some pretty admirable traits. I still wanna kick him half the time but we're friends. Highly dysfunctional friends, but friends nonetheless."

"Riku has been looking after me and Kairi since we've been really little." Sora then told Jasmine, "When I was younger, people used to pick on me. But then one time, Riku came out of nowhere and decked this one guy right in the face. He's always watching out for us."

Jasmine put her hand on Sora's shoulder. "That's really good to hear. You guys are lucky you have each other. It's good to have friends like that."

"You're a good friend too," Sora told her. "I bet you had a lot of friends back where you're from."

She had to fight that sting she felt in her chest and keep up a strong front. "I really didn't have friends."

"Stop playing around," Sora playfully shoved her. "I bet you were super popular in your old school."

Jasmine's eyes turned dark. "I'm not kidding."

Sora's smile completely faded away.

"I was literally one of those kids who spent their time alone in the library whenever there was free time. I didn't socialize a lot because I used to get picked on for being one of the quiet kids. So, I just studied a lot. It got me into this school so it wasn't all bad." She smiled brightly. "Things are a lot better now."

"Jasmine," Sora began sadly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

"You don't need to worry about me. I can take care of myself. I'm a big girl."

Without saying another word, Sora gave Jasmine a tight hug. "I'm sorry Jas. I didn't know it was like that."

"Oh please don't even worry about it," Jasmine returned the hug, giving him a tap on the shoulder before releasing him. "I'm good. I just have to get going now."

"Right then," he waved as Jasmine took off down her own path. "Text me tonight, okay?"

"No problem!" Once Sora was sure Jasmine was gone, he allowed his smile to show. 'Wait till I tell Riku the good news...'

* * *

"You're really a kid when it comes to your ice cream," Jasmine commented as she watched Demyx devour his ice cream cone as they sat in his parked car outside the ice cream parlor.

Demyx grinned as he took another bite of his disappearing cone. "It's one of the few pleasures I still get to have. Therefore, I enjoy it to the fullest."

She eyed him cautiously. "You're not gonna get a sugar high, are you?"

"Maybe later," he said, finishing off the cone.

"That's promising," she said under her breath.

"But, now for business," Demyx sat up and removed his dark sunglasses. "We've gotten a great deal of good feedback for the video. The song and video have started at number one on the Island Hot 100 List."

Jasmine burst into a smile. "That's great Demyx! I'm so happy for you!"

He offered another trademark grin. "So far, the video and the song have sold over 18 million digital downloads since it was put up on New Year's Day at noon which was two weeks ago. It's my highest and fastest selling song and video to date."

She could only sit there in awe. 'It went over _that _well?'

"Once we release the single in Europe tomorrow night, it'll be epic."

"Demyx, that's almost unheard of," she breathed.

"Exactly. Victoria is practically bouncing off the walls," Demyx then cleared his throat. "She was especially pleased with your performance."

"Really?"

"Yup, and the executives were impressed as well. They said you looked good on camera and helped sell the story. They're interested in seeing what else you can do."

Jasmine slid into the seat of Demyx's foreign sports car and brushed her bangs out of her face. "I-I never expected it to go over so well."

"Victoria said that there's something in you that's catching their eyes. Right now, they want to hire you as an actress and model under Angela's company."

While Jasmine collected herself, Demyx reached in the glove compartment for a thick contact and handed it to the awestruck girl. "We're all interesting in seeing what you can do. Does this interest you?"

Jasmine still hadn't been able to breathe normally since she heard 18 million. Now it was much worse.

"Do I need to call an ambulance?" Demyx started getting worried. "Don't worry! I'll call 9-1-1!"

Before he could get his phone out, Jasmine grabbed his elbow. "No, no I'm okay. Just a little stunned is all."

Demyx pocketed his phone. "That's a good thing. I didn't want you to have a heart attack or anything like that."

'Pretty close to one though,' she thought wearily.

"But anyway, Angela wants to meet up tomorrow night and discuss a few things with you. I want you to appear in my next video but we'll get to the details tomorrow. What do you say?"

Jasmine thought long and hard about this opportunity. She loved everything about the music world. The freedom of expression that went along with it, the passion, everything of that nature appealed to her. However, she was well aware of her current situation. She was in a difficult year of high school. Her parents were becoming a lot more difficult to read in terms of their actions and with Vanitas (although he wasn't present often enough) there was something about him that kept her on her toes even though he was nowhere to be found. She had no idea of which direction her life was moving to now. Ever since she came to this island, everything that she thought would be got turned upside down.

"I'll do it," she said without hesitation.

"Yay! That's what I like to hear. Just turn this in to Angela at her home tomorrow and she'll go more in depth with everything. Do you need her address?"

"No, I actually go to school with her son," she replied.

Demyx nodded his head. "Sweet. And I'd been meaning to ask you," he tapped her hand, "where did you get those gloves?"

Jasmine couldn't help but crack a smile. "My friend gave them to me."

Demyx cracked an even bigger smile than hers. "Your friend, huh? You mean your boyfriend?"

"No!" She cried defensively. "We're partners."

"What kind of partners?"

"The kind that scheme to get our friends together," she replied. "Me and him aren't like that."

Demyx was quite interested in Jasmine's story. "Then_ what_ are you like?"

Jasmine felt completely at ease when talking to Demyx. He was nice, fun to be around, hilarious and he seemed to be really sweet and genuinely caring. 'Oh why not?' she thought. "Let's just say, we didn't like each other at first. He's one of those rich guys who dates around a lot and supposedly I'm the only girl who ever chewed him out." Jasmine rested against the seat. "But he's starting to grow on me. He's the only person who's ever listened to me and actually gave a crap about me in terms of figuring out who I am. We argue a lot, but then, like on Christmas, he has these moments that make me—" She caught herself and stopped.

"So you like him?" Demyx finished.

"I don't have feelings for him." Yet, as soon as Jasmine denied this, she felt her heart twitch. "I'm not the type of person to be in a relationship."

"He likes you?"

Jasmine scoffed, "I wouldn't believe it for a second." She then stared at him. "Are we really discussing this?"

Demyx nodded. "This is kinda fun actually. But why wouldn't he like you? Since you said he dates around a lot, does he have a girlfriend currently?"

"No."

"Does he flirt around a lot?"

"No more than usual. I think that's just a personality trait of his though."

"But does he act different around you than his other friends or other girls?"

Jasmine thought back to the times when they were on their own. Riku was different around her. The things they talked about, the way he treated her, just the way it naturally felt…

"I guess so. But this isn't important though," she said hastily.

"Are you kidding me?" Demyx exclaimed. "This is about your love life!"

Jasmine's lips twisted up. "I don't have one of those. End of story. But what I do have, is a contract that'll get signed."

"You know I'll be checking in on this again," Demyx told her, turning on the engine. "And we have a job this weekend. I'm supposed to be a model for this new cologne or something. I want you to model with me."

The only thing she could manage was a nod. It seemed as though everything Jasmine had planned for herself was being taken in a whole other direction. She didn't know whether she should enjoy the ride, or wait for the fall where reality would ground her permanently.

* * *

Jasmine sat on the floor in the living room, watching television while Tifa cleaned the dining room table off.

"You're awfully quiet in there," Tifa commented as she set the plates in the sink.

"Have you ever had so much on your mind that you feel like you're going to explode, and yet you can't explain it because even after you vocalize it, none of the weight has been lifted?" Jasmine asked quietly.

Tifa let the dishes soak and sat on the floor next to Jasmine, crossing her legs and stealing the remote. "Yeah, I've had a few of those. It was probably around the time when I first moved out here, after Cloud and I broke up."

Jasmine almost jumped out of her skin. "You two dated?"

"Yes," Tifa flipped through the channels, not even paying attention, "He was still actively involved with SOLDIER and we were barely starting out." She leaned back on her elbows to prop her up. "It was almost as if we weren't really together anyway."

Jasmine never heard Tifa speak about her past with Cloud before. He'd been around a lot more since Thanksgiving, but even so Tifa never opened that subject up.

"And so when the opportunity came up," Tifa sighed, "I ended up leaving while he went on tour. We didn't speak for at least two years after that."

"What happened after that?"

"Eventually we met up again at Yuffie's place, but it was still bizarre. Cloud was always a bit distant, but this time, it was different. It's like he's changed."

'He probably missed you,' Jasmine thought sadly. "I'm so sorry, Tifa."

Tifa smiled and took Jasmine, resting the girl's head in her lap. "You don't need to be sorry for me. I have a great life here. All my friends are around, including Cloud, I have a great job, which I love, and a wonderful adoptive daughter who makes this place feel a little more like a home."

Jasmine couldn't contain her smile. There was something special about Tifa, the way she spoke and her timing, that just seemed to put her at ease. "You should be a mother. Number one, the kids would be beautiful and you're just a really good person."

"Thanks, Jasmine," she said, brushing back her own long hair.

"But the kids will be short," Jasmine teased. "Just saying…."

Tifa reached behind her, pulled out a pillow and smacked Jasmine across the face, sending the girl flying across the room. Once she collected herself, Jasmine then cried, "Why are you so strong?"

"Since I knew I was short," Tifa explained, "I figured I might as well do something so I could protect myself."

Jasmine half-heartedly threw this pillow back. Even though talking to Tifa managed to dull her headache, the moment when everything came back to her after the fact, made it return three-fold. "I need an aspirin."

"The bottle is in the pantry," Tifa called out.

Jasmine reached into the pantry, grabbed the bottle and ran for her room, cracking the door behind her as she dry-swallowed the pill. 'There's way too much going on for me right now. I'd almost kill for the days when I was stuck in a library, worried about my marks on exams.'

She ran to the window and closed it. Today was an unusually cold and windy day, even for her. After locking the window, Jasmine sat at her desk, wrapped a thick, fluffy bathrobe over her body and brought out her laptop. She started to pull up research but stopped to plug in her earphones and set her iPod on shuffle, Utada Hikaru's "Colors" playing. Absently, she started to sing along.

"Miraa ga utsushidasu maboroshi wo ki ni shinagara  
Itsu no ma ni ka sokudo ageteru no sa …"

Jasmine knew the song by heart because when she was younger, she happened to hear her song playing on a commercial. After that, she became a fan. Always waiting for a new album, always watching the music videos, that's another way Jasmine found peace in her home.

"Doko e ittemo ii to iwareru to  
Hanpa na ganbou ni wa hyoushiki mo zenbu haiiro da

Honoo no yurameki koyoi mo yume wo egaku  
Anata no fudesaki kawaite imasen ka …"

Tifa had always asked Jasmine if she would join a school choir, but Jasmine always had to hold back on taking elective or art classes because to her parents, those weren't_ real_ classes. So she stuck through advanced math courses, science classes she had no interest in and completed basic PE for most of her schooling. Secretly, she'd always wanted to enter an arts program, but her mother and father would never allow it.

"Aoi sora ga mienu nara aoi kasa hirogete  
Ii ja nai ka  
Kyanbasu wa kimi no mono  
Shiroi haba wa akirameta toki ni dake kazasu no  
Ima wa makkai ni sasou tougyuushi no you ni

Karaa mo iroaseru keikoutou no moto  
Shirokuro no chesu boodo no ue de kimi ni deatta

Bokura wa hitotoki mayoinagara yorisotte  
Are kara hitotsuki oboete imasu ka…"

Jasmine was told when she was younger that her mother had a beautiful singing voice, but that once she married, she stopped singing altogether. Her father had this strange idea that singing in public wasn't a good use of one's time. Jasmine figured that she inherited her voice from Sofia, but from what she was told her voice was much stronger than her mother's ever was.

"Orenji iro no yuuhi wo tonari de miteru dake de  
Yokatta no ni na kuchi wa wazawai no moto  
Kuroi fuku wa shisha ni inoru toki ni dake kiru no  
Waza to makka ni nokoshita ruuju no ato

Mou jibun ni wa  
Yume n nai e shika kakenai to iu nara  
Nuritsubushite yo kyanbasu o nando demo  
Shiroi haba wa akirameta toki ni dake kazasu no  
Ima no watashi wa anata no shiranai iro…"

Jasmine turned down the volume when she heard footsteps walking away from her room. She took out the left earphone and then set it back in her ear when the footsteps faded. 'Must have been Tifa.'

* * *

Riku darted out of Jasmine's house and jumped into his car. He started the engine and headed back towards his home, clutching his cell phone in his free hand.

'How long has she been able to sing _that_ well?' He asked himself mentally as he drove. Riku came to a stoplight and shook his head. 'She really wasn't playing when she said she could sing.'

_Flashback_

_He'd finished with blitzball practice early and thought he'd spend some time messing with Faye. Riku pulled up to the driveway, shut off the engine and headed to the front door. Riku laughed at how often he found himself here at Jas...no, Faye's house nowadays. There was so much peace in that house that even once Riku left, he felt rejuvenated and completely at ease hours after he got back to his home. _

_After he rang the doorbell, Tifa opened the door and there was a slight smile on her face. "Hello, Riku. You're becoming a frequent visitor aren't you?"_

"_I enjoy messing with Jasmine," he said politely. Riku looked around the living room. "Is she home?"_

"_She's in her room," Tifa pointed to the second floor. "She's got a headache, go easy on her."_

_Riku smiled. "I'll try to." _

_Casually, Riku headed down the hall towards a familiar bedroom and as he did so, he thought, 'I wonder what she's up to. I never really got to talk to her about that video.' He pictured the kiss she shared with Demyx and he frowned. 'Yeah I need to speak to her.'_

_The sound of a person singing caught Riku off guard. 'She must have the music turned up all the way. I like the singer though. Never heard that voice before…'_

_As he approached, he started hearing and noticing distinct things about the singer. Number one, whoever the artist was, she had an angelic tone that was as light as air. Riku figured she must have been a soprano or something. Then the notes starting jumping around from low alto notes to high soprano ones and Riku was impressed with the person's range and tight control. In addition to that, she could make her voice rough and it still ring clear and strong. 'Sounds like someone my mom would be interested in…'_

_However, when Riku peaked through the cracked door, he was beyond shocked to find that the singer was Jasmine. He ducked behind the corner and stood close, listening to every note and word._

'_She never told me she could sing like _that_,' Riku continued to stare in secrecy and listened, finding her voice almost hypnotic in a way. He dug out his cell phone, silenced it, and pressed a few keys, holding it at his side. _

'_Her voice is gorgeous,' Riku made sure to keep himself out of her line of sight, although she was on the laptop and was facing the other direction, he knew that Jasmine's senses were strong and if he were caught, it would be trouble._

_Riku refused to leave until she had stopped singing. Once she stopped, Riku walked back towards the front door, passing Tifa as he left._

"_Is something wrong? You aren't staying, Riku?"_

_He gave her a kind smile. "She's got a headache so I think I'll be nice and let her rest."_

_End of Flashback_

Riku threw his coat onto the rack as he entered his house, phone gripped tightly in his hand. He headed straight for his mother's office and walked right in.

Angela was sorting through papers when Riku arrived and she was a bit startled to see him. "Hey, Riku," she greeted through a pen she had in between her teeth. She set it on her desk and looked up. "What's wrong? You seem a little flustered. Is everything okay?"

Then Riku smiled and set his phone on her desk, pressing a button and letting Jasmine's recorded voice play through the small speakers. "Listen to this," he told her.

Angela listened on but because the sound was so low, she leaned over the desk to hear better. She closed her eyes and listened closely, nodding her head as she did so. Once the playback stopped, Angela handed Riku his cell phone and pushed all her papers aside.

"Who is that? Is it one of your friends?" She asked slowly.

He nodded his head and his grin widened. "That's Jasmine. I went over to her house, caught her singing and recorded it."

The blond woman's eyes widened. "Are you telling me that_ Jasmine_ is the one singing?" she asked incredulously.

"It's her. She was singing while she was typing at her desktop. I think she had her earphones in so she couldn't hear me coming."

Angela looked blown away. "I don't know if I've ever heard a voice that clean, powerful or strong for someone of her age in all my life. Her tone quality is amazing, her range is excellent and her voice is distinct. Plus her Japanese is practically flawless."

Riku pulled up a chair and sat across from his mother. "So? What do you think? Her voice is amazing, huh?"

"I don't even know what to say," Angela twirled her pen through her fingers.

"She can sing, can't she?"

"Oh honey she can do so much more than that," Angela sat back in her chair and closed her eyes once more, imagining all the possibilities.

Riku rose and headed for the door, picking up his cell phone as he left.

"Riku, tell Jasmine that I'll need that contract back," Angela returned to her work, signing several documents.

"What contract?" He asked quizzically. Jasmine hadn't mentioned anything about a contract to him.

"I gave her a contract for her to be an actress and model under the company," Angela explained. "I had Demyx pass it along to her today." Angela reached into her desk for a portfolio. "Guess I'll be needing it back."

"Why?"

"Because now I'll have to draw up a new contract and sign her as an actual artist," Angela said nonchalantly. "If you think I'm going to let a voice like that slip by, then you're insane."

Riku's eyes glowed and he moved towards the door.

"You seem to be taking special care of Jasmine," Angela noted, continuing on with her work. "A mother has to wonder what's going on in her son's head. I don't ever think you've taken so much interest in one person besides Sora and Kairi. In fact, I'm not even sure you gave them this kind of care and attention. What's going on, Riku?"

He stopped. Without looking at her, he said, "I just thought this might be something you might be interested in. I don't have your vocals, but I can at least hear a singer coming when they open their mouth."

Angela chuckled, looking very much like her son when she did so, adding his classic smirk at the end. "We'll see about that Riku. You can't fool me. I'm your mother. You care more about her than you allow yourself to let on."

"I just think she has talent," he countered much too quickly. "You're not gonna turn down someone with a voice like that who can dance, act and who is beautiful on camera and in real life. I think you knew she had other underlying talents."

His mother reached for the water bottle on the other end of her desk. "Yes I did. Her speaking voice was a give-away. It doesn't always happen like that but I was sure that she was one of those types of people. Usually people as intelligent as her usually excel in more than academics. And yes, she is quite attractive which won't hurt her at all. This industry is based a lot around appearances. If Jasmine's as special as you believe, it'll definitely come to surface."

"She is special," he muttered.

Angela listened to her son. He never sounded enamored over a person in his seventeen years of life. She noticed the changes in Riku. He wasn't as proud and boastful as he once was. Whenever Riku would come back from seeing Jasmine, he would be completely calm and serene. And if he hadn't had a chance to see her one particular day, he was cranky and anxious. Whether he was fully aware of it or not, Angela had definitely noticed his change in behavior and overall attitude. He almost seemed happier.

"I don't doubt you on that one," Angela said finally after she analyzed her son. "We'll just see what happens in the future."

"Got it, Mom," he said on his way out.

"And I trust you'll be the one to give her the news this time instead of Demyx," she laughed, remembering how when she said his name, Riku tensed up. "It'll give you an excuse."

"An excuse for what?"

Angela smiled an all-knowing, smile that only a mother could possess. "You're a smart boy. You'll figure it out. When you do, you'll thank me."

"Whatever," Riku called, finally leaving.

'Maybe she could be the one to break him out of this playboy phase after all….' Angela smiled to herself and continued on with her work. 'I might even get a daughter in law out of all this.'


	33. Chapter 33: Denial Among Other Things

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry it took so long to update! It's hard to pump out chapters when midterms are here. But I'll keep this short. I wanna thank everyone who read and reviewed and faved my story. I wanna give a special thanks to **animechick247** for doing some fanart for me! If you all have a moment, please take a look at her page. Her drawings are really cute and cool!

To my reviewers **animechick247, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Kanika Meskhenet, ventus4ever, Inferno Caeli, Tiryn, Frooky90, Khaotic Kal and Clumsy Clouds, **thank you so much for hanging here with me all this time since day one. Everyone actually has been amazing. Thank you guys so much! Take care and happy reading!

-Skye

* * *

Riku continued to stare at Jasmine who was busy talking to a fellow student about a math problem. He still couldn't believe that she had a voice like _that_. He twiddled his thumbs against the desk rhythmically. When he went to bed last night, he played the recording of her over and over again until he thought that the repeat button would break.

"Do you get it now?" Jasmine asked kindly.

The female student smiled. "I do now. Thanks!"

It never stopped. Every day, Jasmine was continuing to amaze Riku. He couldn't recall a time when he was so fascinated with a person in his life. Well not a girl anyway. With each passing day, he was finding it harder and harder to not break from his character and behave towards her like he does when they're alone. With that, he was finding it hard to be near her and not act on what he felt. Riku was usually the type of guy to go after what he wanted without hesitation. Now he was forced to take his time and it was killing him on the inside.

He loved the fighting, that much is true. In a strange way that he couldn't fathom, Riku loved it when he saw her in one of her feistier moods. It was attractive in a way. To see her nose scrunched up, the way her voice rose, and the way her gorgeous eyes gained a fire he hadn't seen in anyone before was exciting. He'd become so accustomed to her reserved silence at school that breaking from her normal, demure character was a treat.

Jasmine adjusted her glasses and flipped through her textbook till she came to the page where the instructor assigned homework, working diligently and efficiently as usual.

Riku still hadn't told Jasmine about the new contract. Part of it was because he wanted to present it to her at the right time and place. The other part was that he didn't know how she would react to knowing that he was spying on her while she was studying. Riku wasn't sure how she'd take the news because he had never really seen her caught off guard before and the end result could be disastrous. She'd either be mortified that he'd actually heard her. She could be angry that he stood there and recorded her and the rest was up in the air.

"_Try to get that other contract back and then give Jasmine the new one. When she signs it though, I want her and her guardian Tifa present. Got it?" _His mother's voice echoed through his head as he went through the math problems one by one.

Before he knew it, the bell for the next class rang and Jasmine gathered her belongings. He threw his stuff in his backpack before following behind her.

"Were you able to finish the assignment?" he asked casually.

"Most of it. Why?"

Riku shrugged his shoulders. "Just asking. Is that so wrong?"

Jasmine eyed him then returned her stare to the back of the hallway. "No, guess not."

'She's being difficult today,' Riku thought to himself. Then he realized all the stares in the hall aimed at the two of them. People were watching and started whispering amongst each other. It was an oddity for Riku, one of the stars of the school, to be seen walking around with the "poor" new kid who was the hot gossip for the time being.

"How are you?"

Jasmine glanced at him incredulously. "I'm fine I guess. Are YOU okay? You're acting strange…" She turned down the hall and he trailed behind.

'What's wrong with me lately?' Riku asked himself. He shook his thoughts clear and followed behind her. "There's no pleasing you, you know."

"Hmm?" Her eyebrow shot up.

"You don't want me to be a jerk to you, and yet when I try to be cordial, you clam up," He sighed. "I don't know what to do."

Jasmine paused, forcing him to stop. "Riku not knowing what to do….how bizarre…."

"Are you making fun of me?"

"Not at all," she said, genuinely honest. "It's just weird seeing you not sure of yourself," Jasmine looked over her shoulder, "well in public anyway. You look like you've got a lot on your mind. That's all," she then went inside the classroom without him, leaving Riku standing there.

'Am I really starting to lose it in front of her?' Riku asked himself.

* * *

Jasmine ran a brush through her hair and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had an unreadable expression on her face. Jasmine couldn't identify with the figure staring her in the face. However she had become accustomed to this now. For the past few weeks of her life, Jasmine was finding it harder and harder to actually make sense of her life. Things she never imagined happening, were happening. She had a group of friends who were making a conscious effort to try and figure her out. Things were going well.

She set the brush down on her vanity table and ran her hands through her hair. The vibration of her cell phone broke Jasmine out of her trance and she absently picked it up, not even bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

A familiar chuckled she had almost forgotten blasted through the speakers. "Hello Jasmine. It's been a long time."

Jasmine's eyes narrowed. "Yes it has, Vanitas. I'd almost thought you'd forgotten about me."

"Never."

She leaned back in her chair. "I'm studying right now so my time is short. What do you need?"

"I just wanted to tell you how beautiful you looked in Demyx's video, that's all."

Instantly her face paled. She hadn't even fathomed the idea that _Vanitas _of all people would see it. Still, she showed no sign of shock in her voice.

"Well thanks. Is that all you wanted to say? You know I'm busy."

"So am I, but I still take the time out of my day to call you," Vanitas told her. "I'm parked outside of your house. Come."

"I'm not a dog," she growled.

Vanitas chuckled. "I know that. But regardless, I need you to step outside."

Jasmine would have much rather hung up in his face, stormed out of the house, and cussed him out. The nightmare she'd been having flashed through her mind and she shuddered. But with Vanitas' tone and newfound knowledge, she figured that it would be better to go out and see what he wanted.

She didn't even bother to put her hair back up in a clip and let her hair hang. She slipped a pair of baggy basketball shorts on and headed out the door, passing Tifa as she did so. Jasmine spotted Vanitas in the driveway standing by his car. Instead of his usual suit and tie, he wore a basic white v-neck, dark blue jeans, gray sneakers and a leather gloves. She had to admit that he was attractive in his own dark way but refused to let her mind wander any further around that thought.

"This is a treat," she said with a smirk, "I get to see you out of your work clothes."

"I could say the same about you," Vanitas leaned against his car. "It's rare to see one of the Silva's in a casual way. Except for your father," he added. "We go golfing occasionally."

Jasmine rolled her eyes and stopped walking towards him when they were five feet apart. "Aren't _you _the privileged one?"

"Snappy today, aren't you?"

"I'm just concerned as to why you're here," she said finally. "Did my father ask you to come? That's the only reason why you ever call me or show up here."

Vanitas smiled. "Nope. This time I came on my own accord," he told her. "That much is the truth."

'I wonder when this truthful streak will run out,' Jasmine thought grimly, keeping herself on her guard.

"But no, I just came to tell how great you were in that video. That's all," Vanitas told her. "And no, I didn't tell your father."

Instantly Jasmine snapped, "I don't care if you tell him or not. I'm not whoring myself out on the streets so therefore I'm doing nothing wrong."

Vanitas held up his arms and continued to laugh, making Jasmine's skin crawl. "Hold on there, I didn't mean it to be like that. I'm just saying that I didn't tell him. With him being as conservative as he is, I'm not sure he'd be thrilled…."

Jasmine ran her fingers through her hair. 'I half expected that.'

"But I think it's nice that you can break out of that studious shell you're always in."

"Well if that's it then I guess I'll see you later," Jasmine told him. "Thank you for the complement but I need to get back to my work. Unlike you, I'm still in high school and therefore need to work on a few things."

Just as she turned away from him, Vanitas caught her wrist. It took all she had to not pull away from him and cause a scene.

"I'm not done," Vanitas' voice darkened and Jasmine's heart began to race for all the wrong reasons. He slowly pulled her towards him and his eyes locked with hers. Even though Jasmine wanted to, she couldn't turn away from them. She kept her face neutral, like nothing was wrong, all so that Tifa wouldn't expect anything. "I gotta admit it: I'm a bit jealous."

"Of what?" Jasmine asked, trying to be normal but knowing that her façade was threatening to fail her with each passing second to fail her.

"Demyx," Vanitas answered simply, staring at her like a lion does its prey. "I know it was all an act, but it was a pretty good one."

"Glad you enjoyed yourself, but like I said, I have to go," Jasmine cleared her throat. Now she actually_ hoped_ that Tifa would come outside and see this.

"Like I said," his grip on her tightened, "I'm not done." One hand moved to her shoulder and he drummed his fingers against her exposed skin. "We could be good friends you know."

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "I have enough friends, thank you."

"And then I looked at you while you and him were laying down on the bed and thought to myself 'I wonder if she'll ever look at me like that' and decided to take a trip to see you," he pressed his body lightly against hers so she was trapped between him and the car.

'I'll be in serious trouble if I stay here,' Jasmine thought.

"What would it take for you to look at me like that?" Vanitas asked, running his hands through her hair.

Jasmine mustered up all the courage she could handle. "It will never happen so you can forget about it," she whispered to him viciously.

Vanitas then grabbed Jasmine's hair at the nape of her neck, making her cry out in pain. He tilted her head up so that she was staring at him. Still, she held her ground as best she could. "As much as I love it when you pipe up and decide to rebel against me," his grin turned deadly, "and I absolutely _adore _it, I don't want you to think that you can go toe to toe with me."

"Maybe not physically," Jasmine argued, "but just because you're older than me, doesn't mean I'm any less intelligent than you. That's why I don't buy whatever it is you're fronting. I know you want something from my father and I'm not going to let you run me over too."

Vanitas' hand moved from her hair to her cheek. "I'm impressed. I look forward to seeing how long you can keep this front up." He planted a kiss on her forehead and let her go.

Jasmine scurried away and glared at him as he got in his car, his triumphant eyes never leaving hers. "Goodbye, Faye." He backed out of the driveway and headed off down the street, disappearing within a matter of seconds.

After he was gone, Jasmine fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself, fighting off intense chills. 'It's worse than last time.' She remembered how oh-so gently his lips grazed hers and another wave of chills overcame her. Jasmine once again cursed herself for her weakness. There was no way a man should have had that much affect on her. 'Am I losing it? Why didn't I kick him or even try to fight back? He physically _harmed _me.'

Jasmine instantly tied her hair back with the rubber band around her wrist and sat there in the driveway, trying to get herself together. She didn't know how much time had passed before she saw a shadow cast over her.

"Why are you sitting in the driveway?" asked Riku. "I might have run you over if I hadn't parked along the side."

She said nothing. As embarrassing as it was to admit it, she was still quite shaken.

"What happened?" Riku got on his knees to her level. He tried to look her in the eye but hers were glued to the hedges around the driveway. "Hey," he called out once more.

Jasmine's eyes then fell on him but she remained silent.

Riku then saw something he'd never seen before in her eyes: fear.

"What happened?" he then demanded. Riku reached out to touch her and she flinched. This was also something he'd never experienced. It was as if she was afraid of him.

Jasmine jumped to her feet. "I'm fine," she told him.

"Stop lying," Riku fought back, becoming irritated. He hated how even though they progressed this much in their friendship, Jasmine still didn't express herself when her mood flipped. "You're freaking out and last time I checked, that's NOT okay."

Jasmine stormed off to her house, not wanting to risk the chance of Riku seeing her in an even poorer mood or having to explain to him why she was acting like this. "I'm fine," she lied once more, pushing open the door to her house.

Riku was hot on her tail. "No, you look like you just saw a ghost."

"Look, why can't we just drop it? I just got flustered and now I'm fine," she whipped around to face him in the hallway towards the den. "See? I'm not hurt or anything."

"You flinched away from me like I was gonna hit you," Riku told Jasmine. "You should know better by now that I'm NEVER going to lay a hand on you or hurt you."

Jasmine felt the back of her head where Vanitas grabbed her head pulsating and she winced once she touched the spot. 'The next time I see him, I'm gonna give him hell.'

It was then that Riku took a step back from Jasmine. "Faye, we can't be friends if you don't trust me enough to tell me what's wrong. That's not how this works."

And for the second time today Jasmine felt fear, but for a completely different reason. The thought of losing Riku instantly overcame her and she began to panic. She grabbed his sleeve and led him up the stairs to her bedroom where she locked the door right after he stepped inside.

"My father has me dining with his business partners," Jasmine began slowly and cautiously.

Riku sat on her bed. "Keep going."

"My father is a politician on Twilight Town and he wants me to enter politics as well," Jasmine added quickly, joining him on her bed by sitting directly across from him. "So he has me meeting with his partners and newcomers. Why? I don't know and one gives me the creeps. He came by today saying he saw me in Demyx's video."

After another long pause, Riku brushed his hair out of his eyes. "Is he going to tell?"

"No," she replied, "he's just watching me closely. I know he wants to screw my father over somehow but until I figure everything out, I can't do anything. It's not like I care too much about what happens to my father, but I just don't like the way that new person operates." Jasmine sighed. "I can't read him at all and he's fully aware that he gives me the chills. I hate it when I don't have control over a situation that I usually would."

Wordlessly, Riku gently grabbed her ankles and pulled her close to him, similar to the way he did on Christmas. He placed his hands on Jasmine's knees and asked, "Does it really bother you that much?"

Trying to keep her mind focused on Vanitas instead of Riku's touch was a challenge. "Yeah," Jasmine replied. "I'm not used to people like him."

He hated seeing her like this, so down and confused. It wasn't in her character to let down her cool façade for anyone. Riku brushed her bangs behind her ear and his hand froze when his palm was to her cheek. "Faye, you've got to try and relax. As long as I'm here, he's not going to harm you. The next time he comes around, just text me and I'll find you. I don't like how you seem so frazzled."

Jasmine found herself lost in his aquatic blue eyes that seemed to rival the ocean itself. Often times she was able to pull back from his gaze, to snap back to reality. But now, when she was already caught off guard by outside circumstances, Jasmine found that there was no escape from his heavenly blues, and she did not want one either.

"You're awfully quiet," Riku pointed out, smiling softly.

Jasmine laughed and placed her hand over the one caressing her cheek. "So are you."

"True. Do you have any more homework?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm just about to relax and watch TV now."

"Good," Riku let her go and leaned against the headboard, "then I won't leave."

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "I _love _how you just invite yourself over nowadays. How often are you at your own house? Huh?"

Riku grinned and flipped through the TV stations until he came to the movie _Anna and the King. _Jasmine screamed, "Stop right here!" and he did just that.

"Is this a good movie?"

Jasmine turned around to see the screen better. "It's a great movie! It's better than half the crap that comes out nowadays."

As the opening credits rolled, Riku asked, "Is this a chick flick?"

She shushed him immediately and Riku did as he was told. After a couple of minutes, he asked, "Sooo, what's this movie about?"

"A school teacher who comes to that country to teach his children," she replied quietly.

"I'm guessing her and this king fall in love, right?"

"Just watch the movie," she instructed one last time.

* * *

_Jasmine ascended the grand staircase, taking in all the sights around her. There were men dressed in military uniforms and tuxedos while the women from other visiting countries and the women who lived in the palace all dressed alike in the finest gowns in a rainbow of colors, mostly in different, fabulous shades of red. She took a different approach and wore a striking silver gown with most of her hair pinned up with the rest of her ebony locks trailing her back._

_When she finally reached the top of the stairs, the majority of the eyes in the area fell on her. As she passed by, she gave her greetings and made her way up another set of stairs where the outside dining room was. Jasmine looked up and her eyes widened at the sight of the elegant king._

_He was talking to one of his consultants but he did a double take when she approached him. She curtsied before him and smiled. _

"_I'm sorry I'm late R—your Highness. The sun set a little earlier today I guess," she apologized. _

_The king's ocean blue eyes seemed to shine. "You _would _be the one to keep me waiting, Jasmine."_

"_I apologize," Jasmine told him once more, sensing the playfulness in his voice._

"_If you really feel bad," he extended his hand to her, "then perhaps you could make it up to me with a dance."_

_It seemed as if the whole room turned towards Jasmine and the king. Whispers from those in the area filled the area. Jasmine stared at his hand, wondering if she should take it or not. But with that smile carved into his perfectly crafted, handsome face, Jasmine took his hand wordlessly and allowed him to lead her onto the dancefloor, waiting for the orchestra to begin the waltz. _

_Once they began, the king and Jasmine held a conversation. _

"_You know they're all staring at us, right?" Jasmine asked while they danced. _

_The king shook his head. "They're not looking at me," as he turned his head, his silver hair brushed his shoulder. "They're looking at you, Jasmine."_

_She blushed and hid her face in his broad shoulders. _

"_Of course, on my night, everyone's eyes would be on you."_

_Jasmine laughed nervously. "It wasn't my intention, I swear."_

_They stopped in the middle of the dancefloor and he held onto her, watching as the other couples danced around them in a circle. He cupped her chin in one hand and stared into her eyes lovingly. _

"_What are you doing? Everyone will see…." Jasmine's panicked eyes scanned the room and she found several sets of eyes glued to her and the king. _

"_Faye," he whispered, staring into her eyes lovingly, "I don't care anymore."_

"_We shouldn't even be together," she said firmly. "If they find out—"_

"_Like I said," the king said a bit stronger this time, "I don't care. I will not let them take away my happiness."_

"_Your Highness—!" she protested. _

_He pulled her closer, so close to where she could feel his heart beating through his clothing. "Call me by my name," he lowered his face to hers so that their lips were almost to hers, leaving her to take the rest of the initiative, "risk big, win big."_

_Jasmine then caressed his face with her hand. She smiled as she closed the distance between her lips and his. "You were always a little too bold, Riku…"_

* * *

Jasmine shot up in her bed only to be forced back down by an unknown source. When her vision cleared, she realized it was nighttime and she was lying on her bed. The sky was dark and there were credits playing on the screen. What concerned her most was the fact that she was pinned down. Jasmine looked over her shoulder and her eyes widened in shock at the sight.

Riku was sleeping as well in her bed and her back was to him. One arm was wrapped under her body, latched onto her waist and pulling her to him while the other was around her as well, but their hands were laced together.

She froze. 'Oh my god how long have we been asleep? Who fell asleep first? HOW did we get like THIS?"

Jasmine listened carefully to Riku's breathing to see if he was awake or not. For the time being, it seemed as if he was asleep which was a shocker; she jolted up from the bed and should have woken him up. 'He's a heavy sleeper,' she reasoned.

She didn't know what to do. Her initial reaction after waking up was 'What's he doing here?' and then faded into a 'How do I get out of this mess?' When Jasmine tried to move, his grip became stronger. 'Calm down, it's just a reflex' she told herself.

Then her dream popped up in her mind. The moment where they shared a kiss was burned into her memory. 'This is easy to explain. I fell asleep on the movie and Riku was in the immediate area. It's a love story so it's only logical to take the last male one saw and insert him into the dream. I'm not crazy.'

She winced when she felt his hand brush against her stomach. Every part of her wanted to scream and kick him off the bed, to tell him to go home and not be such a creep by latching himself onto her. But then Jasmine, that in the back of her mind, she wanted him to be this close to her. There was something about his touch that seemed to set her ever nerve on fire that was both dangerous and addictive. Jasmine felt herself becoming lightheaded as she caught sight of his flawless face.

'Riku has every reason to be cocky,' she reasoned, wanting to reach out and touch his face the same way he did hers, 'he's so good looking.'

Then she felt him stir. Riku yawned and sat up, his arms never leaving Jasmine's body. Jasmine kept her eyes shut and tried to keep her body from tensing up.

He rubbed his eyes and glanced at Jasmine's clock. "Dammit," he grumbled, "It's almost 10 o'clock." Riku looked down at Jasmine's limp body. 'I'm shocked we haven't gotten caught yet.' He gave her a gentle nudge and Jasmine pretended to "wake up" for the sake of keeping up her ruse.

"What?" Jasmine mumbled before sitting up, only to once again be brought down by Riku. After a few seconds, she asked, "Why are we latched onto one another?"

Riku shrugged his shoulders. "We both fell asleep at the same time, by the way that movie was long," he interrupted, "and we knocked out. When I sleep, I tend to grab onto things."

Jasmine said, "Oh. I see…"

"Why do you look so panicked?" He then asked her. She gave no response and looked away from him. 'Is she blushing?' Riku smiled and said, "We're friends. You've got to get used to me being close to you. This isn't a problem, is it?"

'Friends, huh?' Jasmine cursed herself for allowing Riku to catch her off guard. "I guess not."

Riku gave her hip a pat and jumped off the bed, slipping on his shoes. "I've got to run. I'm sure my parents are freaking out. I'll text you tonight. Answer your phone."

"I always answer my phone," Jasmine argued.

He was already at the door. Part of him didn't want to leave but the logical part of him knew that if he didn't go home now, his parents would probably kill him. "Just make sure you do," and with that Riku was gone.

Jasmine continued to stare at the spot where Riku had laid. Nothing made sense to her anymore. Why was she feeling so confused whenever he was near? Why was he so different from the other boys she met? And why was it that she was allowing herself to show softness in her own character?

Tifa then appeared in the doorway, staring at Jasmine with an all-knowing grin on her face. "Are you still gonna deny that you have feelings for him?"

Jasmine moaned before burying herself in her sheets. "Drop it!"


	34. Chapter 34: Mistake

**Author's Note: **Sorry about the long break. I thought for sure I'd be better at this by now, balancing school work with the stories. I'll get better, I promise! I just really wanted this chapter to be good and have another major problem introduced. I wanna thank my readers, those who fave and my reviewers **Khaotic Kal, Frooky90, KittyFox1, ventus4ever, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Demented Girl Child **and **animechick247 **(who continues to create the cutest fanart for my story. Seriously guys, you should check her out).

Well I'm not going to ramble on. Enjoy the chapter and tell me what you think, kay? Take care!

-Skye

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Sora began slowly as he sat in Riku's den, "you're gonna ask Jasmine out on a date?"

Riku, who was playing video games at the time, nodded his head. "That's the plan."

Sora's eyes widened and he took a seat next to the enormous flat screen television. "You know I'm happy for you, really I am."

"I sense a "but" coming," Riku sighed heavily.

"What are you going to do about Roxas?" Sora asked finally, checking over his shoulder as if someone were behind him even though they were the only ones in the house. "You know that you're treading on thin ice right now."

Riku had been thinking about this for a while now. He and Roxas had been close for the past few years and he valued his friendship. They looked out for each other and trusted each other. However, Riku's feelings for Jasmine were undeniable and they were growing each and every day. He knew that if he tried to do anything with Jasmine, the blond would explode and sure enough their friendship might be terminated.

"If you really feel that strongly about her, I say go ahead, just weigh the pros and cons before you do something Riku-like," Sora advised.

"Excuse me?"

"You know, something a bit reckless," Sora elaborated using wild arm gestures.

"When am I reckless?"

"About sixty percent of the time," Sora replied with a chuckle. "The rest of the time, you're just being you."

Riku laughed. "Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

"I guess it's a good thing," Sora said. "For now at least."

"I don't know how Kairi puts up with you," Riku teased. "You're the real jerk around here."

Sora's only response was him sticking his tongue out at the elder teen. "Just shut up and play your game."

* * *

Jasmine pulled up in front of Roxas' house. Once she turned off the ignition, she sighed heavily. Roxas waited for her on the porch and waved to her. She waved back, glad that the windows could hide a bit of her expression. Jasmine had been mentally and physically drained for days.

The contract that Angela had given her was STILL sitting on her desk at home unsigned. With all that was going on, Jasmine couldn't sort out everything and keeping her thoughts organized was becoming a challenge. She didn't understand why or how her life was going in the direction it was. She was the type of person who knew what she wanted out of life and went for it without hesitation. Now, it was as if her world was shifting and things weren't going as planned.

Roxas walked over to her car as she got out. "Thanks for helping me out on my history report," he said cheerfully.

Jasmine put on a mask of cheer to match his own, putting her own emotions away for the sake of Roxas. "No problem," she closed the car door, "I didn't have too much studying today so it all worked itself out."

The blond smiled to hide the butterflies in his stomach. Even after all this time since the break up, his feelings were as strong for Jasmine as ever. Secretly, Roxas hoped that maybe by spending some time together would stir up past feelings. There was legitimacy to the visit; he did need help on an assignment and Jasmine was top of their class. It would only seem fitting for him to ask her for assistance. After all, they were still friends.

Roxas reached out to give her a hug which she returned. "I'm not too good at doing research, but I'll get it done now," he laughed.

"Well I'll be here for as long as you need me," she told him as he led her into his house. Jasmine followed him to his living room where he had all his books and laptops were sitting. "Wow," she allowed Roxas to step ahead of her, "you weren't playing around."

He looked over his shoulder. "I decided I should try to be a bit more like you when it came to my studies. I don't want to be the shame of the family."

Jasmine shrugged her shoulders. "I doubt Naminé would ever allow it to get that bad, but I see where you're coming from."

"Yeah," Roxas took a spot on the floor next to the low study table. "I'm just trying to get to your level."

Jasmine grabbed a silver hair from her low ponytail that caught the light from the lamps. It was her own hair. Ever since she had started at this school, she began graying naturally. Surely this was a sign of her stress and dwindling sanity. "I don't think you wanna end up like me."

Roxas opened his agenda. "Yeah I do. I wish I had grades like you."

The ebony haired girl closed her eyes. Even though she was keeping up a good front that she could handle everything on her plate, Jasmine couldn't hide how exhausted she was most of the time. She recalled a time in middle school where she came home from class and she actually passed out on the stairs. "It's not much of an option," she told him grimly.

"Well regardless, let's get to work."

Jasmine rubbed her eyes. She knew it was going to be a long night.

* * *

"It's funny," Tifa carried two cups of coffee to her dining room table. She sat down on one end, and Sofia sat down on the other, "I didn't expect to see you here after all this time."

Sofia brushed back her shoulder length hair over one ear and gratefully took the coffee mug. She placed it gracefully to her lips and sighed. "I was hoping to maybe see you and Jasmine together so we could all talk."

Tifa rubbed her eyes. "She's at a friend's house working on a project. She took the car and said she'd be back before it gets atrociously late."

"You let her go out when she wants?" Sofia asked in surprise.

"I trust Jasmine," Tifa said calmly, hiding the mild irritation she felt towards the woman sitting across from the table from her. "She's a good girl."

Sofia pushed back the mug. "I know," she whispered silently.

"Then why do you insist on treating her like she's a child? Jasmine is more than capable than handling her affairs."

Jasmine's mother shrugged her shoulders. For a moment, she looked like Jasmine with the same tired expression that her daughter usually sported. Tifa was once again startled for the resemblance. If it weren't for the eye color and mild age lines and shorter black hair, Sofia could have been Jasmine's twin.

"This is not what I came here for," Sofia interrupted, breaking away from the other topic. "My reason for coming here was to take Jasmine out to dinner with myself, my husband and Vanitas."

Tifa cocked an eyebrow. "Vanitas?"

"He's a sort of understudy," Sofia explained. "He's amazing. Vanitas is sweet, funny, almost dangerously intelligent and a really caring individual."

Tifa held back the urge to compare the treatment between this new guy and how they treated their own flesh and blood. "Well then, it would seem as though Mr. Silva finally found a man to replace him."

Sofia stirred her coffee with a spoon. "I imagine that once Jasmine goes off to college and works on her degree, she'll be following suit with Vanitas. With their intelligence and drive, I'm sure they'll do well for themselves in the future."

Tifa eyed Sofia cautiously. "What makes you think Jasmine will follow in her father's footsteps? Are you even sure she wants to go into that field?"

"If we're paying for her education," Sofia began sternly, "then that's what she'll be up to."

With a slight smirk, Tifa then said, "Jasmine has paid her own way into one of the most exclusive, high ranking high schools around. I'm more than sure she'll get a full ride somewhere. She's a genius after all." Basically, Tifa had stated that Jasmine didn't need to rely on them to pay for anything now. In fact, Jasmine really didn't need them at all. She was doing well on her own securing her future.

Sofia caught wind of this and frowned. "I worry that Jasmine's rebelliousness is coming out more with her new environment."

Tifa just finished off her cup of coffee. "Jasmine's always been this way. I'm surprised you haven't noticed it sooner."

The door clicked open and Vanitas, dressed casually once more, stepped into the kitchen. He smiled at Tifa, whose eyes widened in shock. He looked strikingly like Sora.

Sofia stood up. "Vanitas, this is Tifa, Jasmine's current guardian. Tifa, this is Vanitas. We actually came from a late lunch and he was kind enough to drive me here." she said politely.

Vanitas reached out and shook her hand. "It's a pleasure."

"Well," Tifa said slowly, analyzing him as best she could without being obvious, "you're certainly handsome."

Vanitas stepped back and placed a hand behind his head, looking a bit bashful. "Thank you, Ms. Lockhart." His blazing gold eyes fell on the seat beside him. "May I?"

Tifa motioned for him to sit. "Of course."

Vanitas looked around the room. "I was wondering," he asked slowly, "is Jasmine here by any chance?"

"No," Tifa replied, "she's at a friend's house studying."

"Do you know when she might be back?" He asked, portraying a perfect mask of shyness.

Sofia laughed. "Jasmine runs off a great deal of the time."

"That's a shame," Vanitas began. He smiled, appearing to have a light blush on his cheeks. "I was kind of hoping to invite her to have dinner with me."

Instantly, red flags went off in Tifa's head. Something didn't seem right with any of this. "Well," Tifa put up a good front of her own, "I'll let her know that you both dropped by. She often studies late into the night."

Vanitas' phone began to vibrate and he excused himself. Once he was out of earshot, Sofia turned to Tifa with a grin. "I think he's smitten with Jasmine. Whenever we go out, he always asks about her and praises her."

"Well with someone like her, it's not shocking to hear of someone giving her praises."

"Which leads me to my next question," Sofia cleared her throat, "Has Jasmine been secretly dating anyone from her school?"

Tifa didn't feel the need to complicate the situation. Sure, there was a time when Jasmine had dated Roxas but it wasn't a secret. Her parents just didn't know about it. "No."

"I thought not," Sofia sighed. "She doesn't have the time. Although it is too bad. She's definitely attractive and I'm sure one of those wealthy academy boys would love to date her."

"Jasmine isn't swayed by money," Tifa told her. "And if you hadn't noticed, Jasmine has a mild dislike for men at this point."

Sofia's eyes widened. "Are you trying to tell me she's—?"

"No, she isn't attracted to women. But," she lowered her voice, "because of her father and other male figures in her life, Jasmine rebels against them. It's destructive and she'll never find happiness with someone at this rate."

"It's not about happiness anymore in this world," Sofia said darkly with a hint of sadness to her voice. "It's all about survival."

* * *

Jasmine shut the laptop and glanced at the clock. It was almost ten o'clock at night. "Well, at least your project got taken care of."

Roxas yawned. Jasmine was tougher than some of the teachers at their school when it came to work and now he was exhausted. "I know right?"

She began packing up her belongings and Roxas watched her, hesitance clear in his face. "Hey, Jasmine?"

She looked up. "Yes, Roxas?"

He inhaled. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

Roxas tapped his fingers against the keys on the keyboard. "I always wanted to know, what's your name?"

Jasmine laughed. "That's an odd question."

"I mean, your first name," Roxas said more clearly. "I never knew what your first name was."

"Because I don't use it," she explained. "On my records my middle name shows up first so I don't correct the instructors or administrators. It was just easier. My mother doesn't even use my first name."

"But…" he paused, "can I just know?"

Jasmine didn't totally feel comfortable with letting him know her first name and at the same time she didn't understand why she felt so uncomfortable with it. "It's really not relevant. I'll show you my student ID one of these days though if it's still a burning question."

Roxas felt his heart sink. She still didn't trust him. "I'm sure it's pretty though," he replied weakly. He felt as if all his chances were slimmer to none.

"Thanks," she replied politely. Jasmine set her backpack aside and sat on the floor with her hands on her lap. "Now do you have anything else I could help you with before I go?"

He examined her face again. She looked more tired than usual and he spotted the few gray strand of hair in her ponytail. "Are you alright?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"I don't know," Roxas sat closer to her, "You just look exhausted. If you were really that tired, I wouldn't have asked you to come over."

Jasmine played with the ponytail self-consciously. "It's nothing you've done Roxas. I just have a lot on my plate right now and I'm trying to balance everything out."

"Are you going to continue making music videos? You were great in Demyx's," he added.

She rubbed her eyes. "I told Demyx I would but I've just been lagging it when it comes to getting the contract back to the company. But it's not helping me with being stretched all the time."

"But you've been able to do it so far," Roxas then said, "what's changed so much not?"

That's when Jasmine leaned back against the sofa behind her and stared at the ceiling. "I don't know. It's like I'm confused about a lot of stuff on top of everything. I used to know everything that I had in my plans and now they're derailed. If anything, being confused is probably the biggest issue. I had no idea my life was going to take the turn it did and it's interesting, but it sucks at the same time."

This was probably the most Jasmine had ever revealed to Roxas at one time. He figured that either she was extremely worn out, or she was starting to trust him more. It would have been easier for him if he knew which one it was.

Roxas reached forward and placed one hand on the one closet to him. Jasmine did not flinch at the action but she did stare at him. He could openly relate to her situation. There was a time in Roxas' life where he had been confused beyond belief in which way his life was going. It had been painful and even though Naminé did her best to help him, he had to suffer through the most of it by himself. Even now, Roxas was still working through things but it had become easier over time. In fact, if it hadn't been for his family and friends, he didn't know how he would have turned out.

He then sighed and his head drooped. "I don't want to complicate things any further but I'm sure you already know this. Jasmine, I still have feelings for you."

Inwardly she screamed when she saw the pained expression on Roxas' face but she listened to him.

"And I'm sure that you're probably going to find someone better than I was but I do want you to come to me if you have a problem. Sometimes, going through something with someone who knows what you're talking about helps."

It was then that Jasmine realized why she had liked Roxas enough to date him: he could be more sensitive than most guys could be. Unlike a lot of the wealthy boys at their school, he did stay relatively grounded and down to earth. And this wasn't Roxas trying to pull anything on her. It was just him being honest and himself.

She laced their fingers together and rested her head on his shoulder. "It does a little bit."

Roxas smiled. "I'm glad. It's actually nice to be able to help out someone occasionally who usually doesn't need help from anyone."

Then there was silence. Jasmine looked up to see Roxas' eyes on her, a slight blush on his face. The air became incredibly thin and their respective heartbeats filled in the void of silence, banging in their ears like tanto drums. Roxas' nose was now touching hers and she made no attempt to move or call him out on this act and their eyes locked. Before Jasmine realized it, they had already moved towards each other and found themselves locked in a kiss. A mental picture of Riku flashed in Jasmine's mind and her heart ached with a pain she had not yet felt before in such a way.

'What have I done?'

Jasmine broke away from Roxas and stared at him incredulously. And yet she realized that she allowed him to kiss her. It was equally her fault.

"I'm going to talk to you later on tonight," Jasmine said hastily as she collected her things. "I'd talk about this now, but Tifa is probably already worried about me."

Roxas walked ahead of her with the strangest look on his face. "Uh…that would be a good idea." Even he didn't anticipating the kiss.

Jasmine waved goodbye and rushed to her car, taking off into the night with her head clouded even more so than she even imagined possible.


	35. Chapter 35: Sting

**Author's Note: **Yeah I did it. Jasmine and Roxas finally had their moment. It was actually really hard to write this scene and it's the reason why it took SOO long to write it out and update. How will this blow up? We shall soon see.

I wanna thank all those who read, faved and my reviewers **animechick247, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, ventus4ever, KittyFox1 **and **burry and bunny. **Oh, and thank you to everyone who wished me a happy Valentine's Day. Hope you all had a good one! Anyway, here's the chapter and leave a comment. Thanks so much!

-Skye

* * *

Riku brushed past her the following morning without even sparing so much as a passing glance. Naminé noticed Riku's unusual brand of coldness towards the junior and she pulled Jasmine off to the side at nutrition.

"Did you and Riku bump heads or something? His whole mood has been seriously off since the day started." Naminé asked. "I mean, you could tell that he's super pissed."

Jasmine stared at the ground and recalled the events of last night.

_Flashback_

_As soon as Jasmine crashed on the bed, her cell phone vibrated. Unfortunately, it was the one person she _didn't _want to talk to that happened to call. _

"_Hey Riku," she said tiredly. _

"_What's wrong with you? You sound like you've been beaten," he said with humor and concern._

_Jasmine sighed. "It was just a really long night," she told him._

"_You know I'm going to ask what happened so spill," Riku commanded._

_Jasmine hesitated. Ever since that moment when she and Roxas kissed, Riku was the only thing she could think of. __He'd always acted out a little harshly whenever it came to their relationship and always stressed the concept of staying away to allow the other person to heal. Now, Jasmine and Roxas had probably opened old wounds and Riku would NOT take this well. He always looked out for the blond. If anything, Riku would view this as Jasmine toying with Roxas._

"_Will you promise me you won't freak out?" she asked slowly._

"_Excuse me?"_

_Jasmine cleared her throat. "I'm going to ask you as my friend to not overreact when I explain this."_

_Riku's voice reflected irritation. "If you don't tell me now, I'm going be pissed regardless of what you tell me. I hate it when you drag things out."_

"_Fine," Jasmine gathered all the courage she could muster. She already knew that things were about to go south really fast. "When I was studying at Roxas' house…we kissed."_

_And just like that, after a five second pause, the line went dead. Jasmine let the phone slip from her hand and she fell to the bed and curled into herself._

"_I always screw things up," she whispered to herself, feeling as though her heart was coming to a slow stop. "It never fails."_

_End of Flashback_

"He and I bumped heads last night," Jasmine feigned nonchalance with ease. "If he wants to be pissed at me, what do I care? When does he ever treat me right?" And yet as soon as she said this, Jasmine felt a hole grow in the pit of her stomach.

Naminé knew what happened between Jasmine and her brother last night. After Jasmine left, Roxas came into her studio and told her everything. Without saying anything, Naminé just _knew _that Riku was angry at Jasmine because of this. However, Naminé kept all this information to herself to save it for later. There was no reason for anyone else to know what was going on. Besides, she wanted to monitor the situation for herself without any other added interference.

"Well, it probably won't last long," Naminé said as she rubbed Jasmine's arm. "He'll cool off and you guys will be back to screaming at each other normally in no time."

Naminé began to walk off and Jasmine followed on a few paces behind. 'Then why does it feel way deeper than that?'

Regardless though, Jasmine felt physically ill as well as emotionally so. It was so strange now how one individual could make someone literally sick to their stomach. She could feel the world spinning and she felt nauseous. Tifa had mentioned something to her earlier about Jasmine looking a bit pale but she brushed it off, believing that maybe it was just from her lack of sleep.

"I'll see you at lunchtime," Jasmine told her. "I have to make a phone call."

Naminé watched Jasmine disappear down a hallway and sighed. 'Poor girl…'

* * *

Sora felt accomplished having just come back from tutoring. All his grades were square and he was ready for the blitzball season. Just imagining the roar of the crowds and the excitement from scoring against the other team sent his adrenaline up to levels he didn't think possible.

"So how about Friday?" a male voice said with alluring undertones.

Sora instantly recognized the voice as belonging to Riku. He ducked when he spotted a mop of silver hair around the corner. He became excited. 'Is he finally asking out Jasmine? About friggin' time…'

The girl who chuckled was most certainly not Jasmine judging from how high the voice was. "I'd love to," she said flirtatiously. "You know, I didn't think you ever noticed me."

Sora peeked around the hall and caught a quick glimpse of the girl before ducking back. She was short, petite and had long dark hair and light brown, almost hazel eyes. He'd never seen her before in his life. But the real burning question Sora had on his mind was why would Riku be asking out this new girl if he was into Jasmine as much as he claimed?

The girl giggled and headed down the opposite hallway, leaving Riku alone. Sora stepped out once the girl had completely vanished so that she couldn't overhear the conversation.

"Uh," Sora walked over to Riku with his arm raised as if to ask a question. "I'll admit, that girl does look a _little _like Jasmine but…" Sora stared Riku in the face, "that's not her! What are you doing?"

Riku's expression darkened. "I'm single which means I can do whatever I want."

"But weren't you going to ask out Jasmine?" Sora pointed to the direction where the other girl disappeared. "In case you haven't noticed, that's definitely _not_ Jasmine."

Riku then grinned. "She's hot though, isn't she?"

The brunette nodded once. "I guess, but Jasmine is WAY prettier than that girl. You've got to tell me what's going on."

Riku ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the lockers. "Jasmine's too busy making out with Roxas to worry about as of now."

Sora's eyes widened. "Are you serious? I thought they were over."

"Me too, but I should have known better," Riku said with heavy bitterness to his usually calm, steady voice. "He's been scheming to get her back all this time. I should have known she would have gone back to him."

Without having to say another word, Sora figured it all out. Jasmine and Roxas must have somehow kissed, Riku found out and now he's angry. "Maybe it was just a fluke. Jasmine said so herself that she doesn't want to be with him anymore."

Riku lashed out, "That's bull. I've warned her multiple times about being with him but she didn't listen to me. As far as I'm concerned, they can live happily ever after."

If it was one thing that Sora understood about Riku, it was that when the right buttons were pushed and the right people were involved, he had the worst issues with jealously Sora had ever seen in his life. Riku had strong feelings for Jasmine, feelings strong enough to make him break away from his playboy habits, and Sora knew that just the idea of Jasmine with any other man was enough to bring out the worst in him. Riku tended to lean almost on the heartless, evil side when it came to him losing control of his emotions and now he was probably going to take this out on Jasmine and most likely Roxas too.

Sora cared for Riku like a brother, but when Riku's jealousy flared up, he was beyond anything anyone could deal with.

"Why don't you talk to Jasmine?" Sora attempted. "I'm sure if you talk to her, you'll realize that it was probably a mistake."

"My mistake was thinking that we had a chance of being together," Riku told Sora. He stuffed his gloved hands into his khaki pants pockets and headed off towards the direction of the girl. "If you need me, I'll be with my new girlfriend."

Sora stared off after Riku with a pained expression on his face. He'd never seen Riku so upset before. There were a few times when he'd been angry, but nothing like this. Whatever happened between Jasmine and Roxas truly hurt him.

'This needs to be fixed quickly before they really do end up hating each other.' Sora thought sadly.

* * *

Jasmine was happy that Tifa had said she'd pick her up in her free period at the end of the day. From the time she arrived at school, she had felt nauseous beyond belief. She tightened the strap of her backpack and waited outside of the attendance office.

'I need serious medication for this feeling,' Jasmine thought to herself as she lifted her glasses to rub her eyes.

Jasmine heard something drop in the hallway and jumped at the action. She would have remained seated had it not have been for another loud object falling against the floor. Jasmine pulled herself to her feet and followed the origin of the sound until she came to a far off hallway. She rounded the corner and froze on the spot at the scene before her.

She spotted Riku and a girl she did not know making out in the middle of the hall. Jasmine swore her heart skipped a beat and she gulped loudly. However, her voice was caught in her throat and she found that she couldn't speak. She thought she was sick earlier, but now, Jasmine felt as if she was going to throw up.

Riku broke the kiss and gave her his iciest glare. "What the hell are you looking at? Leave."

And she did just that. Jasmine turned on her heel and darted down the hall back towards the attendance office. Tifa was already standing there with the slip and when she saw Jasmine bolt past her, she knew something was wrong.

Jasmine clutched her bag close to her body, the image of Riku with that girl burned into her mind. 'What's wrong with him? I can't believe he'd just hook up with some random girl in the middle of the hallway.' Then she realized how lightheaded she was. 'Better yet, what's wrong with me and why do I care so much?'

* * *

It took Jasmine a long time before she could speak. She told Tifa what happened on the way home and the elder woman advised that Jasmine just relax before she works herself up unnecessarily.

"_It's better to try and rest and come back to the problem after clearing your head._" Tifa's words were sensible and Jasmine followed suit. She sat on the sofa in the living room and mindlessly flipped through the channels until she heard the doorbell ring.

'Why is he so mad at me? I didn't do anything to him,' Jasmine thought sadly. 'I don't deserve this.'

Tifa stood by the side of the television with Roxas, still in his uniform, standing behind her with a sheepish look on his face.

"Roxas was worried about you," Tifa began slowly, placing her hand on the boy's shoulder. "If you don't feel up to company right now…"

Strangely, Jasmine felt no emotions for the past few hours. Even as she looked at Roxas, she felt nothing whatsoever. "It's fine. I wanted to talk to him anyway."

"Then I'll leave you two alone." Tifa excused herself and retreated to her bedroom on the second floor.

"Do you mind if I sit next to you?" Roxas asked slowly.

"Not at all," Jasmine's voice was as flat as could be.

Roxas took a spot next to her. "I guess I should probably explain myself."

Jasmine brought her knees to her chest. "Maybe we should try and figure this out although I kind of have an idea of what's going on."

Roxas couldn't help but feel that she had left school early because of him. They hadn't spoken to each other all day and even now, there was a thick tension in the air. "What happened yesterday was more of an accident than anything. I didn't want to force myself on you. I don't know, I guess I just got carried away."

"We both did," Jasmine added. "And I am sorry Roxas. I know I'm probably not the easiest girl to be friends with because of how weird I can be, but I do appreciate your friendship." Another mental image of Riku flashed into her mind. 'I'm not sure if _he_ was ever truly a friend by the way he's acting now.'

"Jasmine, I'm with you because I want to. Sure it's hard sometimes not being able to be _with_ you but hey, we're friends."

Jasmine felt her chest tighten. "Roxas," Jasmine's voice was stronger than it had been all day, "I really messed this up, a lot. I would understand it if you wanted to not speak to me for, well, ever actually."

Roxas sighed. He knew this visit wasn't going to be easy. True, with the kiss there was hope underlying, but with Jasmine being as confused as she was lately, it'd be impossible for a shot at a normal relationship other than friends. Even so, he'd stand by her for as long as she wanted him there.

"I'm not going to drop you as a friend," He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave them a tight squeeze. "I'll help you figure out this dramatic thing you call a life as best I can."

"But no more kissing," Jasmine said sternly.

Roxas laughed nervously. "I kinda figured that." He paused. "Too bad, you're really good at it."

Jasmine broke a bit out of her fog and pushed him to the side playfully. "Get out of my house!" But she was thankful to Roxas. This was the first time she'd laughed in a while and even though this solved only five percent of her problems, every little bit helps.

* * *

Jasmine was thankful that Riku was away at blitzball practice. That way, she could go to Angela's office without having to worry about bumping into him. It just saved everyone a great deal of heartache and possible annoyance.

She knocked on Angela's door and waited patiently for Angela to let her in. When the door swung open, Angela smiled and wrapped her arms around Jasmine, squeezing her tightly.

"I'm so glad to see you! Come in," Angela shut the door tightly behind Jasmine.

Jasmine noticed that today, Angela was extra energized as compared to when she usually saw her. After she took a seat down on a chair at Angela's desk, the former singer/songwriter pushed back her papers and rested her chin in her hands.

"So, are you excited?" Angela asked with a wide grin on her face.

"Uh, a bit I guess," Jasmine answered.

"Really now," Angela seemed puzzled, "most girls at sixteen who get offered a full on recording contract are a little bit more excited than this. You must be really relaxed."

Jasmine felt as though the floor gave out beneath her. "W-What?" she stuttered. "A _recording _contract?"

Angela was taken back. "Yes, a recording contract. I asked Riku to pass it on to you. Surely he's told you, right?"

Jasmine's head pounded. "No, he failed to mention that."

"Hmm," Angela scratched her chin. "I'll have to talk to him about this later. But regardless, Riku just so happened to walk in on you singing and recorded your voice. I couldn't pass up a voice like yours. It'd be criminal to do so. Plus you look good on camera and can dance so the executives love you."

Jasmine was silent for the longest time. "Why would he do that?"

Angela sat back. "He was probably taken back by your talent and wanted to see that you had a shot. He cares about you," she said, lowering her voice level, "I can't believe he didn't tell you."

'He's probably so angry with me that he doesn't care what I do,' Jasmine reasoned.

"Well," Angela fished out another recording contract, "I would have much rather waited for Tifa, but I guess I can go ahead and get your signature now if you want to. Jasmine, this is all up to you. Personally, I think you have talent and there are so many opportunities for you here and to be quite honest, I'll hound you until you sign it unless you _truly _don't want to do it. So…" she held out a pen for Jasmine, "what do you say?"

There were so many risks involved here. What if Jasmine's parents found out? Surely they would because there would be publicity. How would that affect her grades? How would it affect her relationship with those around her? Jasmine wasn't one to take risks but she soon found out that the life she was living wasn't the one she had always wanted. True she'd always been on a steady path, but Jasmine had to ask herself, was she really _living_?

Jasmine took the pen and signed on the dotted line without saying a word. She carefully initially where Angela told her to and sighed heavily.

With a bright smile on her face, Angela set the contract off to the side in a gray folder. "I'm so thrilled to have you on board. We'll have to have your guardian sign as well and I hope it won't be a problem. Tell me Jasmine, I hear that you're reserved for the most part, what made you want to do this?"

'My parents want to make my live a living hell, I'm stuck at a school where my social status has me condemned for as long as I stay there, I accidentally kissed my ex and now our relationship is damaged, I have this psychotic suck up to my father who is doing all he can to break me and me and my closest friend are at odds and my heart aches because of it for a reason I can't fathom.'

"I have nothing to lose at this point. So hey?" Jasmine nodded her head and smiled. "Why not?"

* * *

Demyx squeezed Jasmine tightly when she stepped into his penthouse apartment. The young girl gasped for breath and begged him to release her.

He set her down and apologized promptly. "Sorry! It's just that when Vicky told me the news, I guess I got a little excited."

Jasmine brushed her too-long bangs out of her eyes. "It's," she stopped to regain her breath, "okay Demyx."

He ushered her inside his home and Jasmine looked around. Other than the fact that he had dozens of awards hanging from the walls, guitars and other instruments including two grand pianos near the windows and priceless artwork hanging from the walls, Jasmine would have thought that it was a normal apartment. It wasn't over-the –top in decorations but it was cozy, something Demyx probably needed with his crazy, hectic life.

Jasmine stuffed her hands into the pockets of her hoodie. "So Victoria told me you wanted someone to feature with you on a new song," she began, following Demyx into the living room.

"It's still in the works right now, but you have the gist of it all," Demyx sing-songed. He asked her to sit on the sofa and she did so and he plopped down on the other side right after her. "I love being able to come home and just relax."

"I know, right?" Jasmine sighed.

Demyx then stared at her intently. "What's the matter? You look really tired."

Jasmine shrugged her shoulders. "It's been a REALLY long week actually."

"What happened?" Demyx leaned over and stared into her eyes. "Was it that boyfriend of yours who you refuse to admit is your boyfriend?"

Jasmine groaned. She and Riku hadn't spoken in about a week and a half. He was still ignoring her and walking around with his latest girlfriend and when they did meet with their friends, he was cold and callous towards her. "I'm not talking to him," she stated plainly.

Demyx's eyes bulged out of his head. "Oh wow! What happened?"

"I told him I accidentally kissed my ex and he flipped out big time," Jasmine brought out her glasses cleaning wipe and removed the frames, "now he's dating some random chick and he's being super rude to me. No biggie."

"What do you mean it's no big deal? Of course it's a big deal!" Demyx shouted.

Jasmine scooted farther away from him. "I don't want to be deaf before I'm seventeen, Demyx!"

"Don't you see what's going on?" Demyx jumped to his feet. "He's insanely jealous and that's why he got another girlfriend and is treating you like crap." His voice then softened. "I'm sorry. It's really not fair that he's treating you like that."

With a heavy heart, Jasmine slid her glasses back on her face. "I'll get over it."

"What a jerk," Demyx grumbled. "I mean, I can see why he's upset, but some guys take it too far. Best to let him cool off. If he likes you as much as I think he does, he'll figure it out. I don't take you as the kind of girl to take crap from dudes well."

Jasmine laughed. "That's with most people."

Demyx pulled out a notepad and scribbled something down. "So tell me Jasmine," he motioned towards the couch and Jasmine sat down, "when you saw that he had hooked up with some other girl, how did that make you feel?"

"Are you putting me on the couch?" she asked curiously.

He nodded. "Uh huh. Just humor me, will you?"

Jasmine relaxed back on the couch and played the part of "patient". "What was the question again?"

"How did you initially feel when you saw Riku with that other girl?"

Jasmine squirmed in her seat. She hadn't been able to forget that sight and the jealousy that accompanied it. "I don't really know. If you want me to be honest, I was a bit hurt."

Demyx jotted down a few more notes and paced around her. "What else? Why do you think that you were hurt?"

These questions were making Jasmine extremely uncomfortable. "I don't understand it, but he had already treated me like crap and then to go out with that girl, who everyone tells me looks like me, then now he keeps acting like I'm not worth anything. It makes me mad," she balled her fists. "He can get away with pretty much anything and think he's right and yet when I do something wrong, it's grounds for damnation. It's not fair."

When Jasmine had looked up, she saw that Demyx had written down a full page of what looked like poetry. She peered over and Demyx slid the notepad over to her and she read it all out loud.

"You don't care about the hearts you break,

With you there's no such thing as give and take.

To you I'm not worth anything worth talking about,

And I can't break away from you, there's no way out…"

Jasmine stared up at Demyx incredulously. "What the heck is that?"

Demyx grinned from ear to ear. "It's lyrics to a song you'll be singing with me," he replied.

Her eyes widened. "You got all THAT from what I was telling you?"

"Yeah and I'm not done," Demyx scratched his head. He took a seat next to Jasmine on the couch and stared at her intently. "When Angela and Victoria told me about you and I heard your voice, I _knew _I had to put you on a track with me."

"Demyx," Jasmine began slowly, "I'm still struggling with all this. I don't even know what genre I'd fit into or what kind of vibe I'd give off or my basic style. It's like I'm being thrown to the wolves."

Demyx inhaled. "I understand where you're coming from with all this. When I first started out, I didn't know what the hell I was going to do. The only thing I knew was that I had a guitar, I loved to dance and I wanted to sing. Victoria worked with me from the very beginning and she really helped make me who I am today. All you need are people who are willing to help you out and give you support. The music industry destroys lives all the time and there's a great deal of true artists out there who never get shown. But you've got a legit voice and you work well on camera. That's why I'm here, to help you out." Demyx threw his arms up. "I've got it! I'm going to act as your big brother for the rest of this adventure!"

Jasmine was a bit stunned by Demyx's energy and commitment to helping her out. For so many years, Jasmine had to do everything on her own blindly. She had to admit, for once it was nice to have someone (a guy no doubt) willing to help push her along.

"I've always wanted a little sister!" Demyx continued on.

"I _guess _I can deal with having a big brother for the time being," she said.

The blond jumped to his feet and gave Jasmine a quick once over. "We're going to work on the song in a second." He paused. "If anything, from your style choices so far and the general vibe I get from you, I'd land you in the pop category. As for style and what I saw from your iPod, I'd say that you had a high fashion, dark, almost gothic style."

"You're getting all this from what I wear?"

"I'm pretty good at figuring things out. Plus, Vicky pounded this stuff into my skull a long time ago. What do you think?"

Jasmine actually liked the description. "I can live with that."

"But you've got to be comfortable." Demyx then warned her, "If you're not comfortable, it'll show up onstage really fast. Now," he took her hand and led her to the piano where she took a seat. He grabbed a guitar from a stand near Jasmine's feet, "let's get to working on this song, huh?"

* * *

"I'm telling you," Tidus began at lunchtime, "Valentine's Day was blown up by the greeting card company so that guys get suckered into buying girls gifts."

Selphie rolled her eyes. "What are you talking about? Valentine's Day is fun."

Jasmine poked at her chicken salad. "I'm all for the idea of love, but why just show that person you care about that you love them on ONE day. Why not all year?"

Kairi and Sora nodded. The redhead said, "She's got a valid point."

Sora looked to Jasmine. "What are you doing on Valentine's Day?"

Jasmine opened her mouth to speak, but at that time Riku and his newest girlfriend walked up to the group. He stood behind Sora with his arm around the girl's waist and he smiled at everyone in the group, except Jasmine.

"What are you guys up to?" he asked casually.

"Just talking about Valentine's Day next week," Naminé replied. "What are your plans this Friday?"

"Nothing much, just going to head out to the club and then to dinner," he said casually.

His armcandy grinned and laughed. "I'm so excited. I can't wait."

Jasmine cringed. Her voice was like a raccoon going through a paper shredder.

"I hope you two have a good time," Jasmine said while smiling at the girl.

Riku's eyes hardened. "And what are _you _doing on Valentine's Day?"

Sora felt a storm fast approaching. "We were just discussing that now. It's going to be a chill Valentine's Day this year."

Jasmine felt that Sora was trying to help and hoped that soon Riku would drop the subject.

"Jasmine," Riku said harshly. "What are you up to on Valentine's Day?"

"I don't know," she replied pointedly.

Riku snickered. "What you mean to say is, that you have no plans because you obviously don't have anyone to share the day with."

Kairi, Sora and Tidus stared at Jasmine who seemed really caught off guard and astounded by Riku's attitude. Tidus spoke up. "Dude, that's not cool."

"I'm just asking a question," Riku said defensively. "Why can't I be honest?"

Jasmine balled her fists and rested them on her lap. His insult hurt and she felt anger welling up in her chest. "Does it even _matter _I'm doing? Why is my life that relevant to where you need to know what I'm doing?"

"Your life isn't that relevant," Riku replied coldly.

It was as if he was punching her in the face over and over again. She felt her face redden from embarrassment and shame.

Roxas then stepped up. "Why are you being so rude?"

Riku's girl looked around. "I don't get it. What's going on?"

Riku ignored the questions and continued to stare at Jasmine who had her head down with her bangs covering her eyes. In the back of his mind, he couldn't help but curse himself for being so cold. But Riku was more concerned about his own hurt feelings than to acknowledge Jasmine's. "So tell me, what does someone like you do on Single's Awareness Day? Huh? Shut themselves in? Do laundry? Educate me."

Jasmine had enough. She rose to her feet, grabbed her belongings and glared at him. "So tell ME Riku?" she asked sharply. "What's it like to be an ASSHOLE? I'm sure you of all people could educate me and I'd be a pro like you!"

Before Riku could open his mouth, Jasmine stormed past him. But she didn't just walk off. Jasmine slapped his shoulder with enough force that the sound almost echoed and she left the room.

'Why is he so evil to me? I didn't do anything to deserve this,' she thought as she sped through the halls to find a place where she could be alone.

Once Jasmine was at her locker, she set her backpack down and took a seat on the floor. She fished out her cell phone and dialed in a familiar number, not expecting an answer but at least wanting to hear a voice. Surprisingly, the person answered on the third ring.

"Jasmine! What's up?" Demyx cheered.

She tried to sound happy but it was clearly a fail. "Just finished lunch. Are you busy? If so I'll get off the phone and—"

Demyx cut her off. "No no no I'm on a lunch break too! I had to spend some time in the studio but I'm done for the day. What happened?"

"That guy just called me out in front of our friends," Jasmine explained. "I chewed him out, slapped him and left. I didn't want to be there anymore."

"Do you want me to come and pick you up?" He asked. "I can get you in ten minutes."

"No I just took of time from school last week," Jasmine told him. "Thanks though."

"Then I'll come pick you up after school," Demyx told her. "I won't take no for an answer. We'll get ice cream, work on our songs and plot revenge. Sound fun?"

Jasmine cracked a half smile. Demyx really knew how to cheer her up. "I tell you, you'd be the perfect boyfriend."

"Some say otherwise, but I aim to please! Anything for my little sister. We'll work something out for sure. Now, no more frowns for the rest of the day, huh?"

It took all of her, but Jasmine grinned honestly. "I'll do my darndest."


	36. Chapter 36: Be Mine

**Author's Note: **Wow, Riku gets no love from the last chapter! Remember from Kingdom Hearts 1, Riku had the most insane jealousy issues and I really wanted to incorporate all that to keep him close to the original character presented at the beginning of the series. Yeah, he was a jerk then and I have to try to keep some of the characters like their game counterparts. And how could we not love Demyx? He's the best.

Anyway, I wanna thank those who read, faved and the reviewers **ventus4ever, animechick247, Catalyna Cullen, Clumsy Clouds, Kanika Meskhenet, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, KittyFox1, **and **TheKeeperofKingdomHearts1. **You guys are awesome. Take care, leave a comment and see you at the next chappie!

-Skye

* * *

Kanye West's song "Love Lockdown" blared through Jasmine's earphones as she stood outside of her class. 'What a fitting song for the day,' she thought to herself.

It was clear that Valentine's Day was a popular event at her school. The holiday was popular everywhere for the most part, but here at the elite prep school, the wealthy did it big. Girls walked down the hall carrying exotic flowers, opening Tiffany's jewelry boxes and guys getting expensive foreign watches Jasmine couldn't even pronounce.

If it wasn't for attendance credits, Jasmine would have stayed at home today. She honestly didn't feel good. Not just because Valentine's Day was a bit depressing for her, but for the past few weeks Jasmine felt like she was catching a cold. 'I can't deal with this right now.'

Sora ran up to Jasmine before homeroom started and handed her a bouquet of pink roses. Jasmine's face lit up.

"Oh my goodness Sora," she breathed, "they're beautiful!"

Sora grinned his trademark grin. "Every year I give my friends who are girls flowers. Don't wanna see any sad faces today."

Jasmine gave Sora a big hug. "Thank you so much, Sora. I appreciate it. What did you get Kairi?"

Sora's face reddened. "She has red roses and I have a bracelet for her."

"Aw look at you," Jasmine rubbed his shoulder, "she's super lucky to have you. Are you guys going out tonight?"

"Nah," he answered casually, "she didn't want to go out into the madness so we're having a movie night at my place."

Jasmine was relieved that boys like Sora still existed in the world. It gave her hope that there was someone out there possibly for her. "Well get to class. I don't want you to be late."

"Thanks Jaz," Sora gave her another hug and ran off, "I'll text you later!"

She waved goodbye, took a deep breath and headed off into the classroom. It was Valentine's Day and she'd have to deal with Riku's presence for the whole day. 'Oh joy.' Ever since she called him out, his behavior had been a little more out of the ordinary. He was stone cold silent but he didn't have that harsh look in his eyes whenever he happened to look at her. Occasionally Jasmine caught him delivering stares at her, but when she tried to stare back he turned away. Hopefully he'd be so interested in his girlfriend that he wouldn't pay her any mind.

Jasmine entered the classroom to find orange lilies on her desk in a neat arrangement with a box on her desk. She found Roxas standing there with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he said shyly.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Roxas," Jasmine greeted. She looked down at her desk. "The flowers are gorgeous." Her eyes then went to the gift. "What is…?"

"It's a friendship charm bracelet," he said hastily. "I don't wanna start any drama. I just want you to have a great day."

Touched by his care and concern, Jasmine gave him a hug as well. "Thanks Roxas. I appreciate this."

Once the bell rung, the students took their seats. Riku shuffled in afterwards, took a quick glance at Jasmine before taking his usual seat next to her. He said nothing as the class settled down and the instructor came to the front.

"Good morning class," he said cheerfully. "I want to wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day." The door slid open and three students all holding bouquets of flowers in their arms came to the front. "I know how this day works. I've been teaching for a while now. No one will be listening to a single thing I say because they'll all be too busy figuring out who gave who what, who broke up with each other today, who's hooking up after school and all that. I say we just have a free period."

'Well, he certainly knows what's up,' Jasmine thought. 'At least I can sleep this period.'

He allowed the students to deliver the flowers and Jasmine turned around in her seat to talk to Roxas. "What are you up to today?"

Roxas shrugged his shoulders. "My family always has dinner together on Valentine's Day. It's my mom's birthday."

"That's so cool! Tell her I said Happy Birthday," Jasmine said with a smile.

"She wanted to know if you wanted to come along," Roxas told her.

Jasmine's smile faded. "Sorry, I have work to do tonight. I didn't expect to be doing much tonight but my studies are once again kicking me in the butt."

Roxas then glanced over Jasmine's shoulder. "You might want to re-think that."

She blinked. "Huh? Why?"

He pointed to her desk and Jasmine slowly turned around, spotting three different bouquets of roses on her desks with cards attached to each of them. "You've got a few admirers."

Jasmine blushed fiercely. In all her years, she'd never once gotten a Valentine's Day bouquet or had an actual Valentine. But now she had three different floral arrangements from different people. Jasmine picked up the cards and as she read each of them, her blush only deepened. One note was from a boy in her math class who she rarely talked to.

"_Hey Jasmine, _

_I know we haven't really talked much, but I really admire you. Maybe we can get lunch sometime. Feel free to call me or send me a text. My number is at the bottom. Happy Valentine's Day."_

The next one came from a guy off the blitzball team she only knew because of Sora. His letter said:

"_Here's hoping you have a wonderful Valentine's Day. I hope that maybe after this we could hang out more. Hit me up when you can and I hope to see you today at some point."_

Jasmine couldn't believe any of this was happening to her. Usually, she was that ONE girl who didn't get a single card or Valentine's Day wish. Now she had five bouquets and three of them were romantic in nature. The last card was from Mako. She and him hadn't had much of a chance to talk but when they did, it was usually about class. His said:

"_There's a chance that you'll be getting a lot of these today because you're one of the prettiest, intelligent and most sweetest girls in the whole school. But I do hope that you'll seriously consider going out on a date with me above all your other admirers. Can't wait to see you later on today. _

_-Mako"_

Jasmine pulled her bangs out of her face. "Well," she cleared her throat, "today is going to be busy day."

* * *

Selphie stared at Jasmine as she approached the table that lunchtime. "Well look who we have here," she began slyly, "It's the resident pimp of the group. I think you've stolen that title away from Riku."

Jasmine shook her head. "Don't label me with that."

The rest of the group laughed and watched as Jasmine turned her back on everyone. Kairi piped up.

"Are you actually going out with any of these guys?" Kairi asked. "I mean, it would be kind of a shame if you denied them all on Valentine's Day."

Jasmine's shoulders sagged. "I actually have an excuse. I've got work to do so I really don't have time for anything. I've already talked to everyone and they're okay with it."

"Not that they have a choice," Kairi added.

"Nope!" Jasmine replied.

Tidus then asked, "Do they know you've been asked out by other guys? Should I let my teammates know that they have some competition?"

"You can tell them whatever you want," Jasmine replied. "I honestly think that the only reason these guys are hitting me up is because of that music video. But it's whatever."

"You never know," Sora told her.

Jasmine shrugged her shoulders. "That's true."

* * *

Riku wanted to tear his hair out. First off, he never expected Jasmine to physically strike him and because of his pale skin, the bruise showed up within a matter of minutes. Then after that, Jasmine acted as if _he _didn't exist. Riku expected this though. However, he had no idea that it would be this difficult to be near her after the event.

He knew it was coming. Jasmine never let someone treat her like she was less than. He hated himself for allowing himself to stoop down to some low level in an attempt to get back at her. But the idea of Jasmine being with Roxas again drove him crazy.

Riku and his newest girlfriend didn't last long after they had gotten together. Like Alex, she was extremely clingy and she suffocated him. He let her down gently but no one knew they had broken up. He was such a jerk to Jasmine that if anything, the group would turn on him. To add more salt to the wound, on that Valentine's Day Riku had to sit through his classes with Jasmine while watching her being showered with gifts and flowers and confessions. As usual, he received his number of confessions from the female student body but the_ one_ girl he wanted the slightest attention from hated his guts.

And he knew she was justified in all this.

* * *

"I'll see you in a minute," Jasmine said as she hung up the phone. She adjusted the strap of her black spaghetti strapped shirt and ran her fingers through her loose, curled side ponytail. She took a step back from the mirror in the girl's bathroom and did a quick once over of herself.

She ditched her uniform for a more upscale, darker, afterschool outfit. Jasmine wore a pair of black denim high wasted shorts, the spaghetti strapped top, black stockings, black high heeled pumps and a matching black blazer with dark make-up around her eyes and gothic inspired jewelry.

Jasmine stashed her clothes in her backpack and headed to her locker, carrying all the bouquets and gifts in her arms. It was the weekend and all her important books were at home for when she needed them. She fished out a purse from her locker and headed towards the back exit. However, calls from another hallway prevented her from going any further. She turned her head and saw all her friends and Riku rushing towards her. 'Oh boy, this is gonna turn into a scene.'

Sora skidded to a stop in front of Jasmine. "Where are _you _going dressed like that?"

"L-Like what?" Jasmine stammered.

Selphie pointed a finger in Jasmine's face. "It's Valentine's Day and you're dressed up like you're going on a date so fess up!"

Jasmine stepped back away from the accusing glares, making sure she didn't trip in her heels. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Kairi and Naminé joined in. "Sure," they said simultaneously.

Jasmine turned on her heel and hurried to the door but everyone caught up.

Tidus didn't seem convinced. "Who's the guy? You know he has to go through us."

Before Jasmine reached the door she stopped. "I am NOT going on a date. Can't I just change clothes without you guys thinking I'm about to run off with some guy?"

Jasmine then felt Riku's eyes on her. Even though she was looking right past him and at Sora, she knew where he was looking. It was obvious that he was curious too. Although technically it shouldn't matter because he wanted nothing to do with her and supposedly her life was "irrelevant".

While the group conversed to themselves for a minute, Jasmine took the opportunity and bolted out the back door, leaving them all behind. Jasmine ran down the steps two at a time until she collided with another human being once she reached the bottom step. She found herself in someone's arms and looked up to see Demyx's smiling face.

"Couldn't wait to see me, could ya?" he teased as he wrapped his arms around her. As usual, Demyx was dressed well. Like Jasmine, he wore dark clothing but with a splash more color. Demyx had on dark jeans, clean sneakers, a white v-neck and a crisp black blazer of his own with his hair styled a bit more than usual.

"You look nice," she commented. "But why are you so dressed up? I thought we were just going to do some studio work and eat take out at your place."

Demyx smiled mischievously and wrapped his arms tighter around her midsection. "You'll see."

She looked over his shoulder and saw that he had also taken out his black on blue Lamborghini. Also in his hands he saw a brightly wrapped pink box. "You are definitely doing way more than I expected. What if people see us?"

"Hello! That's why I went around the back," he laughed. "Now play along."

A high pitched scream came from the top of the stairs and Jasmine turned around to see her friends staring at her in shock. The scream came from Selphie whose eyes were close to flying out of her head. "Is that DEMYX?" she shouted once more.

Demyx turned Jasmine around to face the group, not loosening his grip, and waved. "Hiya!"

The rest of the group ran down the stairs to join the pair. Tidus stepped forward and shook Demyx's hand. "Dude, what are you doing here?"

The blond musician continued to grin. "There's no way I'm letting this beautiful girl spend Valentine's Day alone. By the way Jasmine, introduce me to your friends."

Jasmine was so caught off guard by the scene around her that she had to pull herself together. She introduced everyone from Kairi to Roxas and even Riku. "These are my friends from school."

"I can't believe you're here," Selphie swooned.

Demyx took an arm and wrapped it around Jasmine's shoulders. "Like I said, me and Jasmine have Valentine's Day plans."

Riku felt the area around him spinning. Never in his life had he expected Jasmine and Demyx of all people to be together. He knew they had worked on a music video together but that was pretty much it. Now he was taking her out on a date?

"Demyx," Jasmine sighed, "I thought we were going to work."

"Uh, yeah," he took the flowers from her hands and set them down in the back of his car. "But business comes later."

Naminé stepped forward. She wasn't as starstruck as the rest of her friends, but she was definitely a bit excited to see Demyx in person. "What do you two have planned?"

"Yeah," Jasmine added, "what's going on?"

Demyx grabbed her left hand, lacing their fingers and put the gift box in her right. "Dinner at this restaurant on another island, clubbing on another, then we get to work. Jasmine is going to be in my next video. I just _had _to keep her."

Sora looked to Riku, then back to Demyx. "Are you guys, you know, dating?"

"It is a date," Demyx answered for Jasmine. "It'll be fun. You know, good food at the restaurant, sharing dessert, going to the club, dancing inappropriately…"

Jasmine whipped around and smacked Demyx's chest while the group broke out into expressions of shock and surprise. "I think we should be going now," she told him sternly.

"That's true," he agreed, seeming to not be fazed by Jasmine's strike. "Don't wanna hit traffic. And real quick," Demyx turned to the group, "can you guys keep this hush hush? Don't want the paparazzi going berserk," he told them.

Naminé smacked her hand across Selphie's mouth. "No worries. We won't tell a soul."

"Awesome! That means I can come back and visit you guys!" Demyx then turned his attention back to Jasmine. He mouthed, "Open the box."

Jasmine complied and was stunned to pull out a large, white gold chain with a matching white gold elephant pendant hanging from it. "It's so pretty!" she said, marveling over the jewelry.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Demyx bent down and kissed her cheek. "Time to go. Nice meeting you all," he called as he held open the door for Jasmine. She got in the car and got one final look at everyone's faces. Honestly, she had no idea Demyx was taking her anywhere besides the company to work on their song. The main reason why she was dressed was because she was supposed to be meeting executives today. She had no idea that they were actually going out. It was all a surprise to her.

Once Demyx had gotten in, he turned on the engine.

Selphie stepped out in front of the crowd. "When you get back, you've got some explaining to do!"

Jasmine laughed nervously, already knowing that she was in for quite the ordeal. "Fine, fine." Before they took off, Jasmine's gaze met Riku's. She had never seen such a look of shock, horror and hurt all rolled together in his face and eyes. Even though she didn't plan for this, she was happy that Demyx was able to help her out. 'That's what he gets.' Jasmine cut her eyes off at him and waved to the group before they were down the street.

"Did that really just happen?" Roxas asked quietly.

"It's like straight out of a movie," Naminé agreed.

Tidus then turned to Riku. "You know I'm your friend and all…" he started. "But dang, Jasmine has you owned big time. Sorry man, but I think you've been outdone."

"Seriously," Kairi agreed. "Karma is a funny thing, Riku."

"Unless you can pull Megan Fox, then you really can't say anything to Jasmine anymore," Tidus finished.

Naminé tapped Tidus' shoulder. "She's married."

The blond threw his arms up in the air. "You get the point! Jasmine's out on a date with Demyx! End of story!"

Selphie squealed in excitement. "What if they end up dating? What if Jasmine becomes super famous?" She paused and grabbed Kairi's arm. "What if they get married and have kids? Oh wow can you imagine it?"

Riku reached into his pocket for his car keys. "I'll see you guys later," he mumbled. "I've got to get home."

The group called out their goodbyes and headed back into the school. Sora stayed behind and followed Riku to his car. "Are you okay?"

The silver-haired blitzball player's face was twisted with frustration and shock. "No," he answered. Riku hopped into his car. "I should have known better than to try and take Jasmine on." He did not start the ignition. Sora got into the passenger's seat and closed the door behind him.

"Riku, you've gotta stop this jealousy thing," Sora advised him. "Jasmine is the type of girl that's able to get over stuff like this. Now, I'm positive that the Demyx thing wasn't staged but it just proves that Jasmine moves on regardless of what's happening."

"I know this," Riku replied tiredly. He rested his head on the steering wheel. "I can't even lie and tell you that I wasn't jealous. I wanted to rip Demyx's head off but they work together professionally now. I can't touch someone like him in a million years."

"And about that other girl you hooked up with…"

Riku stopped Sora. "Yeah I know. It's funny, she kind of looked like Jasmine, but she was nowhere close to her level. I was just fooling myself into thinking I could get over her. Obviously that isn't going to work anymore."

Sora stared at Riku incredulously. It was as if his friend were hinting at something beyond the average high school crush. "Hold up. Riku are you trying to tell me that you…?"

Riku sat upright in his seat. "Yeah. I love Jasmine. No getting around that anymore."

* * *

Jasmine picked at her food while Demyx devoured his like a lion that hadn't eaten in days. He finally looked up after his plate was cleared and sat back, narrowing his eyes to see her in the dimly lit light of the restaurant.

"What's up, Sis?"

She looked up. "I don't think Riku will be happy with me when I get back to the island."

Demyx nodded his head. "The one with the silver hair looked ready to explode."

Jasmine set her fork down. "How did you know that he was the one who…?"

"I just saw how he was staring at you," Demyx answered, reaching for his drink. "It wasn't hard to figure out."

It was becoming ridiculous. Jasmine hated how everyone seemed to be able to figure out that she and Riku were more than frenemies. It was like she was breaking out of her shell and becoming easier to read. While Jasmine felt some relief in this, it meant that soon her weaknesses would start to show themselves as well. She narrowed her eyes and stabbed at her chicken salad.

"I know it was a little overkill with the car and jewelry and everything," Demyx began, setting his drink back down, "but if I told you what I was doing, you might not have acted the way I would have wanted. It would've been too scripted. The point is, I don't think Riku will try to say anything else to you that's overly disrespectful from now on."

"That's the perks of being a celebrity."

"It helps in certain situations."

Jasmine was thankful that Demyx thought enough of her to take her out on Valentine's Day, but even though she knew she got Riku back for his insults in the highest fashion, she was incredibly unhappy. She didn't want to hurt him. Maybe it was her being too full of herself by imagining that she had actually caused him some sort of discomfort in the first place, but it literally pained her to have to look him in the eye when she and Demyx pulled off.

"I hate this," she grumbled under her breath.

"Hate what?" Demyx asked.

She squeezed her fork till she was sure it would bend. "I hate how nowadays he's able to make me feel like crap and how I don't have any control over my emotions anymore. I don't have control over _anything _anymore. I hate this!" Jasmine placed her elbows on the table and set her face in her hands.

"Jasmine…" Demyx's voice trailed off. The anger was clear in her eyes.

"He treated me like crap for most of the time I was at that school like the rest of those rich snobs and only when we were alone did he treat me like I was human," she confessed. Jasmine recalled all the times they'd been together and how it felt to be near him, how it felt to see him smile, how it felt for him to hold her and it intrigued and sickened her. But what struck her the most was how much she actually enjoyed it. Jasmine didn't know what she wanted anymore.

Demyx reached across the table and took her hand, staring into her blazing hazel eyes. "If you're hurting _this _bad, then I think it's obvious that you have strong feelings for him romantically and the same goes for him."

Jasmine's heart skipped a beat. While she initially opened her mouth to protest this, her initial response became caught in her throat. There was no way she could rationalize this or tone it down. Demyx was right as Tifa had been. Jasmine had legitimate feelings for Riku that stemmed past friendship. It would explain how ill she had felt when he treated her poorly in front of others and how chills ran down her spine when he called her by her real name. It explained how she wanted to be near him and how she loved hearing his voice. There was no denying it anymore. As much as it killed her to admit it to herself, Jasmine had deep feelings for Riku.

"This may be true," Jasmine whispered, "but we don't need to be together. I'm not the type of person to be in a relationship. And you see how crazy we are. If he was to feel something for me, we'd probably end up hurting each other all the time. I'm already at war with my parents, schoolmates and normal Riku." She grabbed her soda and took a sip. "We don't need to take it to that level."

"Do you trust him enough?"

"Come again?"

Demyx rubbed his eyes. "Do you trust Riku enough to act right if you accepted his feelings?"

"That's the problem," Jasmine raised her arms, "I don't trust most men in general. Except you," she cleared up, "you're really chill."

He pushed back his chair and diagnosed the situation. "You seem stressed out and you've obviously got a lot on your mind. How about we go back to my place, skip the club and you let all this stress out by way of my piano, huh? Sound good?"

"I feel like destroying something," she mumbled, "I don't wanna take it out on your piano."

Demyx chuckled. "I have four. One missing won't change my life. It sounds like you're well on your way to releasing your first independent single. But," he jumped from his seat, "we've got to finish our collaboration too!"

Jasmine stared at Demyx's extended hand. Ever since she was younger, she found peace in writing and playing the piano. Doing both at the same time might actually help clear her head. She took his hand. "Let's get to work."


	37. Chapter 37: A Mess Together

**Author's Note: **Sorry everyone I haven't updated in a while. I have the flu which slows everything down like two hundred percent. Regardless, here's the new chapter! I wanna thank all those who read and faved the story and myself. I wanna thank my reviewers **fictionalcharacterwish, animechick247, KittyFox1, Catalyna Cullen, ShatterTheHeavens, Kanika Meskhenet, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Frooky90, The Sin Is Red, ventus4ever, **and **Khaotic Kal. **You guys are awesome. And yay for two hundred reviews! Take care everyone, happy reading and tell me what you think of this chapter!

-Skye

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but Jasmine. I swear.

* * *

"What are your plans for today?" Tifa asked Jasmine as the younger girl slipped on her socks while sitting in the living room.

Jasmine searched for one of her socks and replied, "Nothing today as of yet. I don't have to go into the studio with Demyx. The song is written. I have a break at least until Friday."

Tifa sighed. Jasmine was almost always out of the house nowadays. Whether it was her friends, her studies or her new, slowly building career, Jasmine was gone a good portion of the time and when she was at home, she was asleep. Tifa was happy for her. But she did miss her. "Well, what are you doing on Saturday?"

Jasmine slipped her converse on her feet. "Absolutely nothing!" she cheered.

"I was kind of hoping that maybe we could hang out if you wouldn't be too tired," Tifa mentioned. "If you're busy…"

"No way! Of course we could hang out," Jasmine grinned. "Let's get lunch and go to the movies."

Tifa was shocked that with all that was going on, Jasmine was able to still find the energy for lunch. "Perfect. I can't wait. By the way," Tifa retreated to the den, "I won't be here on Friday night."

"Where are you going?"

There was a brief pause. "Cloud is taking me out to dinner."

Jasmine threw her shoe aside and ran for the den. "WHAT? When did this happen?"

"He came by on Valentine's Day," Tifa said casually.

"That was on FRIDAY! It's Monday of next week! Why didn't you say anything?"

Tifa set aside the remote. "Because you were passed out on the couch whenever you were home. Cloud carried you upstairs last night."

Jasmine reeled back. "He carried me?"

Tifa laughed. "You were knocked out. Poking you couldn't even make you budge."

'And to think I missed being carried up into my room princess style by that gorgeous blond,' Jasmine frowned. "My bad. I guess I was more tired than I knew."

"Listen to me Jasmine," Tifa began slowly and cautiously. Jasmine sensed that a serious conversation was about to take place, "when I signed that contract for you to perform, I had total faith in you that you would keep up your grades." She turned to Jasmine. "You are aware that there's a high chance that your parents will find out."

Jasmine nodded her head. She knew that if she pursued music and that industry, that someone who knew her parents might see. Usually, her mother and father didn't pay attention to things in pop culture so they would be a little slower to find out. But with people like Vanitas roaming around, the chance of them finding out was extremely high. "I'll take care of it when it happens. If I'm not singing and just performing, I might be safe. But if I should sing," Jasmine grabbed her stomach. Every time she pictured singing in front of others in a crowd of more than four, she felt nauseous. Sometimes, Jasmine wondered why she signed the contract so hastily. "I'll deal with it then."

"I'm behind you one hundred percent, know that. I'm just warning you of what might happen."

"I understand," Jasmine said.

Tifa blinked. "By the way, what happened to Riku? I don't see him around anymore."

Just the mention of Riku's name unleashed the butterflies in Jasmine's stomach that she worked so hard to control. She'd come to terms with the fact that she had romantic feelings for him, but she wanted to keep them lock and key so that it doesn't affect the way she works. Despite all that people like Tifa and Demyx had drilled into her head, Jasmine still viewed her feelings as a hindrance.

"He's off with his new girlfriend," she answered blandly. "He can do whatever he wants. I've got enough problems to worry about. He's not one of them."

"Whoa," Tifa cut her off before she could go any further. "This sounds pretty intense. What happened? What's this about a new girlfriend?"

Jasmine headed for the door and grabbed her backpack. "Let's just say that for now, Riku's not going to be around."

"Promise me you'll tell me about this later, okay?"

"I will. Let's just hope this day goes smoothly."

* * *

'FML. Of course I'd end up spending the day with my favorite person ever,' Jasmine cringed as she walked into the attendance office to find Vanitas standing at the counter in his business suit.

Vanitas smiled and took the slip from the woman working in the office. He smiled kindly to Jasmine and led her out of the office.

"Okay," she started once she was sure they were out of earshot, "why the hell are you here? Don't you have stuff to do?"

Vanitas shrugged his shoulders and the kind smiled faded into one of mischief and dark intensions. "Most girls would love to get out of school before lunchtime for the day. Guess you're an exception to a lot of things, aren't you?"

"Don't talk to me," she spat, speeding up down the hall to put some distance between herself and Vanitas. "I'd rather sit in school for the next two weeks straight than be with you."

Vanitas, as usual, seemed completely unaffected by Jasmine's words and continued on his way. "Ha, I think you're overreacting just a tad." He paused in the hallway before he reached the door and stuck his hands in his pockets. "I'm not such a terrible person. I think that you and I could have a good time together."

Jasmine rolled her eyes dramatically and stepped out of the school, followed by Vanitas. Unfortunately she couldn't make an escape and take off like she would have wanted. Reno and Rude were standing in front of a sleek black limousine. If Jasmine tried anything both of them would be able to catch up with ease and restrain her. Vanitas had her and he knew it.

"What's wrong with me taking you to lunch? Even though this school is for the wealthy, I'm sure you get tired of eating here every day." Vanitas now stood beside her and held the door open. He then whispered, "You're not getting away so you might as well do as I say and get in."

The threat in his voice was strong and Jasmine, not wanting to fight with him, did as she was told. Once Vanitas slid in behind Jasmine, the doors slammed shut and Jasmine sat as far away from Vanitas as possible. The limo took off and Jasmine rested her head against the window, staring out and watching the buildings fly by in a blur.

"You look like you have a lot on your mind," Vanitas pointed out, flipping through a legal pad mindlessly while glancing up at her with a sly, half-lidded stare.

"Yeah, and the guy kissing up to my father isn't helping either."

Vanitas flipped the pad shut. He reached off to the side and slid a pink box with a bright white bow her way. Jasmine caught it and stared at it cautiously. "It's not a bomb," he reassured her. "You can't honestly think I'm ignorant enough to give you something that would cause you harm while I'm still in the area, could you?"

She narrowed her eyes. It was something she'd say to Riku on many occasions. It was funny how the situations paralled each other but differed so much. "So you've pondered the idea of causing me harm?" She remembered when he grabbed her by her hair and how much it hurt.

Vanitas laughed and lowered his voice. "Not _that _kind of harm anyway," he whispered. "Change out of your uniform when we get to the restaurant. Your shoes are in the back."

"Look," Jasmine held up the box, "I'm tired of you guys playing dress up with me. I'm not some doll who can be manipulated and tossed and turned every which way you want. Get it through your heads now."

"Jasmine calm down," Vanitas told her sternly, "I just don't want you walking around in your uniform all day."

"My father won't be there? He can just claim me if anyone asks questions about whether I'm truant or not," Jasmine said.

"Your parents won't be there until after we eat," Vanitas told her. "It's just lunch between you and me."

"Aren't I blessed?"

Vanitas chuckled. "Divinely," he smirked.

* * *

'I'm not dealing with this well,' Riku thought as he stared at Jasmine's empty seat in the classroom during their fifth period. He saw her leave before noon and (even before then stemming from Valentine's Day) Riku began to notice something. Whenever Jasmine wasn't near or away, he felt almost a physical pain and heaviness that weighed him down. He'd never been in love before and from what he'd been told, it was excruciatingly painful. Well, if that was the case then Riku figured that he was beyond head-over-heels.

She even affected him when he was at home when he should be thinking about other things. Last night Riku fell asleep and had one of the most troubling nightmares he'd ever had in his life.

_Flashback_

_Riku was standing on the docks of the islet he and his friends used to play on when they were little. It was still the same as when they were all four and five years old. The tree house was still perfectly intact, the sheds around the waterfall stood tall and everything was at peace just as it had always been._

"_I haven't been here since I was like, fifteen…" Riku trailed off, staring at the little island. He could still hear the echoes of the laughter of his friends from back when they were young and he smiled. Some of his fondest memories were of his time spent on the island. Things were a lot simpler then and Riku sometimes found himself wishing that he could turn back time to when he was a child._

_Amidst the sound of crashing waves, Riku heard the distant sound of footsteps in the sands and he looked to his right, spotting Jasmine walking to the other side of the island. Riku paused before he called out to her. _

'_I wonder if she's still angry with me,' he thought grimly. 'I wouldn't blame her.' Riku began to follow her anyway just before she disappeared from sight. 'Still, it can't get any worse.'_

"_Jasmine," Riku called out, running towards her. No matter how fast he run, she was always a good twenty steps ahead of him. Eventually she crossed the bridge to the smaller islet where an upturned tree branch was with yellow, star-shaped paopu fruit hung from the leaves. She took as seat on the branch and stared into the ocean, her face hidden by her long, dark hair._

_He slowly walked along the bridge and stared at the back of her head. "What are you doing here?" Riku was now standing maybe three feet away from Jasmine. However the air around her was thin and for some reason it was hard for him to breathe._

"_You don't own this island, do you?" She asked flatly._

_Truth be told, his parents did own that island, but he didn't feel the need to talk about his parent's property. "You can be here whenever you want."_

"_Why did you follow me?" Jasmine asked finally, balling her fists against the tree._

"_Because I wanted to talk to you," Riku confessed. "You could probably do a lot better without me in your life. I'm not the best person to be around and I've offended you on multiple occasions."_

_Jasmine tapped her fingers against the wood. "What are you getting at?"_

"_Faye, I'm sorry I've treated you so poorly and you've done nothing to earn what I've done to you. If anything," Riku breathed deeply. He'd never admitted this openly and didn't think his pride would let him admit this to Jasmine, "my jealousy over everyone surrounding you screwed up my head and that's only because I have feelings for you. I'm sorry, Faye. I know you probably won't forgive me, but I at least had to tell you why I was acting like this and that I'm really sorry for everything."_

_Jasmine jumped from the tree branch and faced Riku, eyes closed. "So you're saying that this is my fault?"_

"_No!" He shouted. "That's not it! You've done nothing wrong. I—"_

_Riku was stopped short when Jasmine grabbed his elbows and rested her head on his chest, still keeping some distance between the two. What Riku found troubling though with all this, is that her body was icy cold._

"_You're terrible at explaining yourself," she chuckled. "Quit while you're ahead."_

"_Faye…"_

_Jasmine sighed. "I hate you, Riku."_

_Riku looked up and cried out in pain. In one swift motion, Jasmine had managed to stab him with a rusty switchblade right where his heart was supposed to be. He staggered back and she held onto him, pushing him back towards the edge where the ocean awaited. Riku stared at Jasmine incredulously and felt himself overwhelmed with pain from all angles but most of all the pain from the wound near his heart and probably moreso, Jasmine's words._

"_I wish I'd never met you," Jasmine finally looked up and although her face was relatively calm, her eyes were smoldering with dark hatred that could shake someone to the core. She frowned, removed the blade and pushed him back into the ocean._

_The ocean continued to push and pull Riku down deeper until soon the light was no more and Jasmine vanished from sight._

_End of Flashback_

As soon as the bell rang Riku cleared his head and gathered his belongings. 'She's never going to want to speak to me again.'

* * *

Jasmine brushed off her short sleeved white blazer jacket of the all white, tailored, fitted suit her father had purchased for her. 'Damn him for this,' she reached for the glass of red wine sitting in front of her and glared at Vanitas. He'd brought her to the same restaurant that her mother always took her too when she started coming to her new school. She half expected for either her mother or father to pop up at any time. If someone were to pass by the pair and not look at their faces, it would appear as though Jasmine and Vanitas were on a lunch date.

"Well," he commented as he stared back at her, "you can handle your liquor, I'll give you that much."

"If I didn't have this sitting in front of me," she sat the glass back down and set her polished index finger on the table authoritatively, "I'd probably throw this plate of food clear into your face and storm off. But the alcohol is cooling me down considerably so you're a lucky man."

Vanitas finished his meal. "Isn't that a bit dramatic?"

Jasmine balled her fists. "I haven't been in the best of moods lately and haven't been able to let all this tension out," she whispered darkly. She then smiled viciously. "You're in the line of fire."

The apprentice reached across the table and grabbed her hand, knowing full well she wouldn't react when he did for fear of causing a scene at the restaurant her father frequents. "There are much more productive ways to release your tension. If you continue to bottle all this up, you'll surely lose the rest of your mind."

"Do not question my sanity or my mental state," Jasmine snapped.

"Oh?" Vanitas grinned and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. "I thought we were becoming friends."

"Now you're just pissing me off," she hissed.

Vanitas gripped her hand tight enough to possibly sprain it. "As a lady, I'd suggest you watch your language. Just because you can get away with it around me, doesn't mean you can do the same in public."

Jasmine quickly snatched her hand away, noticing how red it was. Vanitas was a lot stronger than he appeared. If he wanted to do some serious harm to her, he could do so effortlessly. "If my father finds out you keep physically abusing me, I don't think you'll be in his inner circle for very long."

It was then that Vanitas laughed and there were serious, dark undertones laced inside that were almost impossible to miss. "Now, let's talk about insanity for a minute. When I was in my first year of undergraduate, I took a great deal of time out to study psychology of the human mind. Do you know what I have concluded?" He continued as Jasmine seemed a bit too stunned to speak. "We're all a bit insane. It just varies on different levels."

"Oh god," Jasmine groaned, watching patiently as a couple passed them by before she opened her mouth to speak again. "You're not putting me on the couch."

Vanitas closed his eyes. "Let's take someone like your father: he will push himself to destroying his family, well moreso you than anything, all in hopes of reaching the upper-class status. He doesn't see that it's going to eventually lead to his downfall and in a way, that's his insanity driving him to reach heights that he'll never reach."

"You talk about insanity like you're an expert," Jasmine replied harshly, reaching for her glass of wine. "Aren't you one of my father's lackeys? You seem to have such a grim opinion of him."

"I'm merely stating the absolute truth," Vanitas crossed his arms in his seat. "Think about it: you're his daughter. You can't say that he didn't destroy his relationship with you by relentlessly pursuing his goals."

Jasmine rested the hand holding the glass against the side of her forehead. As much as it pained her to admit it, Vanitas had a point and he knew what he was talking about. She wasn't sure how long he'd been in her father's life, but he was able to see in a short amount of time the damage her father had caused and how eventually it would all backfire.

"I'll be frank with you," she opened up to him just the slightest, "he has put a strain on our family's relationship."

"It's obvious," he then stated matter-of-factly, "the hatred you have for your father is pretty clear in your eyes. I do feel sorry for you in a way, but it's made you the woman you are now. You don't need anyone and are strong enough to stand on your own two feet."

"Should I thank you? Is that a complement?"

"It is so take it, I don't give them out," Vanitas told her.

Jasmine finished the glass and laughed. "Then what's up with you showering my father with complements? Isn't that a bit backwards?"

"Now let's talk about your sanity…" Vanitas blatantly ignored her in favor of his own thoughts. Jasmine tensed up. She dreaded hearing what he had to say on the subject and she didn't know how she'd react if he stepped out of line. "I haven't completely figured you out yet, I'll be honest with you."

She narrowed her eyes. "Is that why you keep bothering me? I'm not an experiment."

Vanitas looked up through the glass ceiling. "You're so much like your father and yet you're the complete opposite of him at the same time. Luckily, save for some of the physical traits, you're nothing like your mother. I can't figure you out completely and it bothers me. You try so hard in school to put yourself in a better place and I'll wager that you put up a front before others so that way you don't get hurt."

Jasmine cursed herself when an image of Riku popped into her mind. 'I've got to get past this _thing _I feel for him. It can't be healthy.'

"And I think that one day, if you're not careful, when things don't go as planned, everything's going to crumble before you and you'll lose it. Mark my words. For a girl your age to be so detached from her feelings, it's a bit startling. But…" he paused at the same time, "it's a strength as well as your curse. Not many women can do this."

Jasmine was torn between telling Vanitas to jump off a cliff and walking out. The fact that she was so much of an open book to him was more than a bit concerning. She tried to calm herself down. "Now I'm a woman?"

"You always were at least in my eyes. You're not like the rest. Your maturity level is way higher than those in your age group, you're vicious when called for, not easy to read," Vanitas once again stared at her as if she were his prey, "and definitely someone I find attractive in a dark sort of way."

"You must have had too much to drink," Jasmine concluded, looking for the door and not wanting to stick around for the rest of this. "Have Reno and Rude take you home. I'll catch a cab." She stood up and started for the door when Vanitas grabbed her wrist tightly. He took rose from his seat and pulled her close enough so she could hear him as he whispered.

"Jasmine, let's get this straight: you and I WILL be interacting for a while so you might want to get used to my presence. The longer you reject me, the worse it's going to be for you in the long run. While I do appreciate your personality, I'd tone it down. Understand?"

Jasmine snatched her hand away and ran off out the door and to the exit where just outside the limo was waiting. "Take me back to school," she asked Rude as she hopped back in the backseat.

"What about Mr. Vanitas?" Rude asked curiously.

"It'll only take ten minutes to get me back to school and then to get back here," she said hastily. "He'll be done with his drink by then."

Reno shrugged his shoulders. "Fine by me, Kid. I never liked that cocky punk anyway."

* * *

Riku had finished changing and was now in a pair of baggy gray sweats, a tank top, sneakers and his gloves. He was exhausted. Because their first game was coming up in the next two weeks, the coach had added another conditioning practice and someone just so happened to be late. This punishment was five miles and two hundred crunches. Riku pulled his backpack from his locker and shut the door just in time to hear Mako laughing on the other side.

"Dude, you should've waited a bit. Now she's not coming back," he said to another player on the team.

"Trust me, they always come back," the other guy replied.

Riku shrugged his shoulders. This conversation was of no importance to him. He would rather be back at his home sleeping off his soon to be aching muscles.

"By the way," the second guy said, "have you gone out with Jasmine yet?"

Riku paused to hear more.

"No man," Mako replied, sighing as he did so. "She's so busy. It's hard to get a hold of her."

"I'd love to get a hold of her," the other guy chuckled.

'Relax,' Riku told himself as he sat down on a bench. 'She'd never approach a guy like that in a million years.'

The sound of shuffling echoed off the walls. "Sorry dude, find someone else," Mako told him. "I've already called her. Besides, I'm going to try and get her to go out with me after our first blitzball game."

"Dude, who would've thought that the little poor girl could be so hot? I only watch that video for her," his friend replied.

Mako then said, "Just because you don't have any class, doesn't mean that you can't be sexy. I was a little shocked though; I didn't expect her to fly above the radar. I'm glad I was wrong."

Riku knew that if he stayed any longer, he'd probably end up strangling Mako. He was fake. One minute, when he was in front of Jasmine, he would put up this façade that he was a genuine, caring guy. But as most of the guys on the team knew, Mako was a womanizer who got what he wanted and dumped the girl flat on their faces after he was through with them. Quiet as it was kept, he wasn't very well liked on the team because his cockiness was beyond even the senior boys who were being scouted for professional blitzball teams. And to think that someone like _that _was pursuing Jasmine? Riku would rather see her dating Sora than Mako.

He left the locker room and planned to meet up with Sora after to get a late lunch. However as Riku walked out, Mako called out to him. Stifling his irritation, Riku smiled.

"What's up man?" Mako asked cheerfully. "Ready to get out of here?"

"Yup, just waiting on someone," Riku told him.

"By the way," Mako tossed his duffel bag over one shoulder, "have you seen Jasmine or talked to her? I haven't gotten in touch with her since she left early today. I wanted to ask her something."

Riku shrugged his shoulders. "We don't really talk as of lately. She's busy. Just because she hangs with our friends, doesn't mean I keep tabs on her 24/7."

Mako wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "Hmm, oh well. I'll try texting her again later. I'm tryin' to figure out if she wants to hang out with me after the game."

"What are your plans? Gonna take her out?" Riku asked innocently.

"Yeah, probably some dinner, then I wanna take her back to my place," Mako grinned mischievously.

Riku, struggling to keep control, continued on. "Tryin to hook up or something?"

"You could say that," Mako began, "to be honest, when I first met her, I thought she was a studious welfare case who was too afraid to try anything. I'm telling you though, ever since the video, I've _wanted _her."

Riku wanted to give Mako one last chance before he totally lost it. "So, you're just gonna screw her?"

"Wouldn't you?" Mako asked. "And if it's any good, and she's down, it could go on longer than a one night thing."

Riku backed up. "I think you should stay away from Jasmine. She's not that kind of girl. You'd be wasting your time," he snapped.

Mako felt the area tense up. "You don't think it's possible?"

Riku chuckled and eyed Mako dangerously. "She's out of your league. You wouldn't get far."

"Why are you defending her? Are YOU messing around with her?"

Riku headed for where Sora was supposed to meet him. "Definitely not. But she wouldn't go for a guy like you. She's too smart for that."

Mako watched Riku walk away and his anger rose. "She'll get a taste for me once I bend her over and she can't do anything about it."

And Riku finally lost it. Faster than Mako could imagine, Riku came back and punched Mako square in the jaw, causing him to fall to the floor. "Listen," Riku warned, "you're not going to approach any of my friends. Not Selphie, Kairi, Jasmine or Naminé. Do you hear me?"

Mako pulled himself to his feet and wiped the blood that trickled from a cut on the side of his mouth. "It's not like you're gonna be able to do anything about it."

Riku began to advance on Mako once more but he stopped when Jasmine ran in front of him and held him back as best she could.

"Riku," she told him, staring him in the eye, "calm down! Don't do anything stupid."

Riku calmed down within a matter of seconds on seeing the deeply-routed concern in Jasmine's face. Although his fists were still balled, his shoulders relaxed and his breathing began to steady. It was amazing how just one touch from her could chill him out even in his anger.

"Good," Mako spat, "maybe you could control this psycho."

Jasmine turned around and held Riku off. "I heard everything you _basic_ idiot," she said darkly, making Mako stop dead in his tracks. "I knew something was wrong with you. I'm just sad you think I'm stupid enough to actually sleep with a whore like you. Trust me, just because I'm quiet, doesn't mean I don't hear the rumors."

Mako began approaching Jasmine but Tidus and Sora ran up to the scene and restrained him before he could get his hands on her.

"I'd be cautious about the things you say," Sora told him, pushing him back into the lockers. "We have most of the conversation on camera and all we have to do is turn this into the coach and you'll be off the team for good and possibly suspended."

Tidus held up an iPhone. "Wanna risk it? Frankly I don't mind showing it."

Jasmine continued to hold back Riku. Once again, she was caught off guard by his strength. "If you ever so much as _look _my way," she said to Mako, "we'll make sure that the administration gets the recording. I hate little boys like you. You're not worth my time."

"Neither are you, you useless b—" Before Mako could finish Riku began to charge him again and Jasmine wrapped her arms around Riku to restrain him.

Tidus called out, "Jasmine get him out of here now!"

Jasmine nodded and with all the strength she could manage, grabbed his hand and pulled him far away from the scene until they came to a bench on the east side of the school. Riku was forced down by Jasmine who seemed more tired than usual.

"Am I relevant enough to get you to go off on someone, or do you just hate Mako otherwise because frankly," Jasmine began, "I'm a little confused so clear things up for me."

Riku took deep, slow breaths. He looked up and noticed that she was out of uniform. "Where did you go after you left class?"

"Just answer the question," she commanded. "What's going on with you, huh? Do you know you could have gotten expelled for punching a fellow student? What would you have done then? Huh?" She threw her arms out in exasperation. "You've been acting like a total jerk! Now you're fighting? I don't care what kind of money your parents have; you could still get kicked out."

"Mako needed to be put in his place."

Jasmine brushed her hair behind her ear. Trying to retrain Riku actually tired her out. Blitzball players were supposed to be strong, but Jasmine felt like she was being pummeled by a train. "And to be honest Riku, so do you!"

Riku rose up to Jasmine. "I'm NOT going to let him stand there and talk about you like you're worthless!"

Jasmine would not back down. She didn't know how mad Riku still was but she knew that he wouldn't put his hands on her ever. He did a lot of things, but striking a woman wasn't one of them. "You treated me just the same! The only difference between you and Mako is that you actually treated me like crap to my face in front of everyone!"

"Don't compare me to him!" Riku shouted.

She took one step closer to him. "You act like you've always treated me with respect and face it: you haven't! I don't know what you thought, but me and Roxas aren't dating and won't! For you to have had a fit over _that_ is disgusting. I know he's your friend and all but we kissed! It happened," she began to wave her arms madly with gestures, "but it's over! WHAT the hell do you want from me? Tell me now otherwise I swear I'll never speak to you again!"

Riku knew that she wasn't joking. With all that was going on in her life, she could easily let him go and continue on as if he never existed. Jasmine had proved it multiple times and either he got over himself, or he'd have to watch her walk away.

"I want you to forgive me," Riku said quietly.

Jasmine did not hear him. "What?"

"I want you to forgive me," He said stronger this time.

Jasmine did not expect that and so she fell silent, confused but interested to see where this was going.

"I'm not used to having someone like you around. I get out of hand, I say things I don't mean and I can be a jerk. You don't deserve any of what I've done and I recognize that. If you want me to leave you alone, I can do that. What happened with Mako was only me wanting to protect you. It doesn't seem like it, but I really do care about you."

Once again Jasmine was stunned. Riku's sincerity was so clear that it couldn't be mistaken for anything else. He meant everything he said and she could detect a bit of sadness. Riku would leave her if she asked him to, but desperation she never knew she had kicked in. "I'm not asking for you to leave," she held up her hands and placed them on his chest, "I'm asking for a bit of consistence and for you to treat me the way I deserve to be treated. If I have done something wrong, then check me. I don't care. But if I haven't done anything wrong, don't treat me the way everyone else around here treats me. Do you hear me, Riku?"

It was as if all the frustration, tension and anger he had bottled up inside him for the past few days had faded away instantly. Finally, there was a bit of hope that maybe, just maybe, he had a chance to show her how much he really loved her. "I do, Faye. Now do you forgive me?"

Feeling exhausted, Jasmine rested her head against his chest. "Yes, Riku, I forgive you. But you're going to have to seriously let me get over all of this. You were beyond a jerk on so many levels. I didn't appreciate it at all how you talked to me and treated me. Like I said, I forgive you but you'll still be on thin ice for a while."

"I anticipated that. It's not like I don't deserve it. But you forgiving me is worth it. I'll take it."

Riku sat down on the bench and pulled her down with him. Jasmine leaned against his shoulder and looked at his left hand.

"You're a mess," she commented, gently grabbing the hand that struck Mako. She set it in her palm and ran over it gently with her index finger. "I hope you didn't break or sprain anything." Riku flinched when she touched his thumb. "I'm sure Mako will have to look at his jaw."

"He's lucky all he probably escaped with was a messed up jaw." Even though Riku's hand was sore, he didn't mind it at all when Jasmine held it. "And you're a mess too. Don't count yourself out," he joked lightly.

Vanitas' words came alive in Jasmine's head and she sighed heavily. It was true. Jasmine was not completely normal (whatever that really meant in today's world) and she was a bit unstable. Vanitas was right but she'd allow herself to get through this day and celebrate the hurdle she had gone over with Riku. For now, she'd let Vanitas once again slip to the recesses of her mind. Jasmine rested her head on Riku's shoulder. "Fair enough. I guess we can be a mess together."

Now that he was comfortable with Jasmine and was certain that they were over everything they had been though, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, resting his chin on top of her head.

"I think that's not a bad idea."


	38. Chapter 38: Pain

**Author's Note: **Well it looks like I have a lot of explaining to do here. I'm sorry it's taken me over a month to update this story. It's just that it's more than 60% completed and now I really want to make sure that each chapter flows perfectly until the end. With my studies and other issues popping up, it's been hard to crank out a chapter for this particular story because it is probably the most important and mentally draining one I have. But here we are. I promise that from now on the chapters should come out a bit more quickly.

I wanna thank all the readers, those who fave and those who review. To my reviewers **Frooky90, animechick247, ShatterTheHeavens, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, NoodleOodles34, The Sin Is Red, KittyFox1, Catalyna Cullen, fictionalcharacterwish, ventus4ever, Lazyxafternoons, **and **Khaotic Kal**, thank you all so much for the reviews. I hope that everyone enjoys this next chapter. Tell me what you think, okay?

I have to say this and it saddens me to some extent: I'm quite sure that after 2012 (possibly the back end of it) I'll stop writing stories for this site and be finished with Kingdom Hearts as a whole. I want to get to work on my independent works and start working on getting my other books published. Quite honestly, I'll continue to play the games and see how far the story (Kingdom Hearts) goes, but with the fantasy and "the blank edges of the map being filled in" (lol Pirates of the Caribbean reference) it's becoming a subject that isn't compelling me to write for it any more. Soooo here's the deal, if you all want me to write specific stories before that time is up, I'll try my hardest to put them out for you. I want to thank every single one of you for your constant support over the years. You have no idea how much it means to me.

I want to thank you all for the support, cheers and praises you've given me. You've all truly made this experience in particular a fun and amazing one. Take care!

-Skye

* * *

Jasmine blinked in confusion. "I have an appointment today?"

The woman working the front desk at the attendance office scrolled down on the computer screen and handed Jasmine a slip of paper, excusing her from her last class of the day. "You've got a free pass from your service period." The woman groaned. "Pity," she looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes, "looks like Larxene will shirk her responsibilities and I'll have to assign her detention…AGAIN."

Jasmine shook her head. "One would think that after all the detentions she's received they'd just expel her."

"Her family donates to the school," the office worker told Jasmine confidentially, "that's why no one can get rid of her. It's not her grades that are keeping her here, that's for sure."

With an apologetic smile, Jasmine grabbed her things and headed for the front of the school. Once Jasmine was out in the fresh, island air she sat on the stairs and waited for whoever was supposed to pick her up.

'I don't think I'm forgetting anything,' Jasmine mused. 'I looked through my agenda and there was NOTHING in there about me having an appointment for the dentist, doctor, optometrist—"

A loud honk startled Jasmine back to reality. She peered through her too-long bangs to see Riku in his car next to her.

"I heard you had an appointment," he told her, trademark smirk intact.

"Don't you have class or practice?" Jasmine asked innocently.

Riku shrugged his shoulders and rolled down the windows. "We have the day off today. Remember? I told you that last week."

Jasmine was finding it hard to believe that she was becoming _this _forgetful. She frowned at her fading memory.

"Get in," Riku told her.

"Huh?" Jasmine glanced around for school police. "What are you talking about? I have an appointment."

Riku laughed. "Yeah you do. With me."

Jasmine's confusion did not dissipate.

He leaned over and opened the car door for her. "Come on, I don't want to have to worry about being stopped because you're hesitating. Besides," Riku's eyes locked with hers, "I _know_ you'd rather deal with Larxene for the rest of the day so if you want me to leave you—"

Jasmine tossed her backpack in the car and jumped in afterwards. "Get me out of here," she commanded, fastening her seatbelt and closing the door.

Riku grinned and sped off from the school grounds. "With pleasure."

After a few minutes of driving in silence, Jasmine spoke up.

"So it's safe to say you pulled some strings to get me out of class early," she reasoned, watching him closely.

"Guilty," Riku told her without hesitation. "I don't have practice, you don't want to do service work, why not just skip? It's not going to go on your record, I promise."

Jasmine still had difficulties understanding the concepts of how money and power could let people get away with pretty much anything they wanted. All that aside, she was still wondering why in the world Riku would drag her out of school. It wasn't that she was upset with him anymore. She was beyond that. But what Jasmine hadn't been able to work out were her growing feelings for Riku.

"But that's not the only reason you did this," Jasmine guessed.

Riku gripped the steering wheel tighter and pulled to a stop when they came to a red light. "No it's not." He kept his eyes on the cars in front of him.

"Well…?" Jasmine wanted an answer to understand what was going on. True they made up. But there was something definitely something else lurking behind this outing.

"I'm taking you out today as part of my apology," Riku confessed.

Jasmine's eyes widened. "Didn't we already make up after you punched Mako?"

"Yeah but that's not enough," Riku said firmly. He closed his eyes. "You didn't deserve the treatment I gave you."

"But," she said weakly, "you already apologized."

"Faye," Riku told her, "if you don't let me make this up to you, it'll be a direct insult to me _and_ slap in my face. You've got to let me do this."

It was shocking to Jasmine how adamant Riku was about trying to make up for what he did in the past. She knew that he felt bad about the things he said to her. Heck, she'd fell remorseful if she said the same things to him. But it felt as if Riku wanted or was pushing something that went much deeper than the average run of the mill argument.

"I'll let you win today." Jasmine did not want to bring about another potential argument and so she let Riku carry on with his plans for the day.

"That's what I like to hear. You won't be disappointed. Promise."

* * *

"How are things going with Jasmine?" Sofia asked Vanitas while they enjoyed their late lunch.

Vanitas smiled. "We seem to get along. She's very spirited," he chuckled.

Sofia rolled her eyes. "She's spirited alright," she grumbled. "I'm surprised we haven't put a lock and chain on that attitude of hers."

Vanitas rested his hands in his lap. "I actually enjoy spending time with her." He then said more bashfully, "She's different from a lot of girls I've met in that sense. It's kind of nice."

"Aw," Sofia gushed, "aren't you the sweetest?" An idea came to Sofia's mind. "Vanitas, Jasmine's birthday is coming up and, while at times it's been hard for her father and I to come out due to business, we usually go out to dinner. Would you like to join us? I'm sure she'd be happy to see you."

"Really?" Vanitas asked enthusiastically.

Sofia laughed. "Of course. I'm sure she'd love to see you as well. How could she not like someone as charming, sweet and handsome as you are? You're quite the catch." She picked up her fork and took a small bite out of her cheesecake. "She's a smart girl. She'd be insane to deny a man like you."

"You're giving me too much credit here. Besides," Vanitas trailed off, "I'm not on Jasmine's level. When I was her age, I was miles behind her. If we were in high school, I'm not sure I could have bested her."

"But look what kind of man you've become," Sofia pushed back her now empty plate, "don't think too much about it. Regardless, you have to have dinner with us. I'm sure she'll be excited to see you."

Inwardly, Vanitas smirked. It was so easy for him to have slid his way into Jasmine's parents' good graces. They were so open, so willing to let him in and all because he had power and a fair amount of wealth.

However, their daughter had proved to be a bit of a challenge. She was nothing like her mother in that she was rebellious, fiery, passionate and calculating. Jasmine easily saw through him as if he had been an open book. While that infuriated Vanitas to no end, he couldn't help but admire her for her intellect.

Vanitas closed his eyes. A mental visual of Jasmine came to mind and he smiled. Soft tan skin, elegant yet youthful facial structure, long, lean body, thick dark hair and eyes brimming with contempt for him excited Vanitas to no end. As much as she despised him, Vanitas did not care. Before each meeting, he couldn't think about anything else other than Mr. Silva's daughter. It was becoming a bit of a sickness. Vanitas just couldn't get enough of her.

"I'm excited to see her," he said finally, masking all previous thoughts behind an innocent smile. "I'll make this a birthday she never forgets."

* * *

Jasmine grinned madly as she bit into her ice cream. She sat across from Riku at a booth in a brightly colored ice cream shop she'd never been to before.

"Where did you find this place?" she asked, still devouring the sweet treat. "I must have walked or driven around this area dozens of times."

Riku watched her and relaxed back in the plush seat. "My mom used to take me here when I was little. One of the director's for one of her videos had this place cater and stuff like ten years back."

"Your mom doesn't look like she aged at all," Jasmine pointed the spoon towards him. "I looked back at an old CD I have of her, and she hasn't changed not one bit. I need to know her secret."

"It's a family thing," Riku admitted with a chuckle, "none of the women age really."

Jasmine frowned. "Don't give me a reason to start disliking you…"

Riku rolled his eyes. "You sound like such a little kid."

She turned her back on him and finished her ice cream. "Do not," Jasmine argued, sounding years younger than she actually was.

"You can stay in your denial," Riku rose up, "but we've got another place we need to go to."

Jasmine's eyes widened and she threw her empty container into a nearby trash bin. "But we already went to lunch and this shop. What else is there?"

Riku held out his hand for Jasmine. "I'm attempting to make up for half the crap I gave you. Besides it's a Friday and we're teenagers. We should be having fun."

She stared at his hand and found herself wishing terribly that her stomach didn't twist up in knots. Putting all that behind her, or attempting to anyway, Jasmine grabbed hold of Riku's hand and he led her out of the shop.

Still holding onto her hand, he pulled her forward till they were side by side. "We're going shopping in one of the districts my mom loves going to."

Jasmine gulped. That district was for the exuberantly wealthy and Jasmine always got the cold shoulder when she had to pass through the area. Needless to say, she wasn't overly excited.

When they reached the stone walkways, Riku looked down. "What's the problem?"

Jasmine stared at the floor. "There's no problem."

"No really," Riku said unconvinced, "what's wrong?"

It embarrassed her to no end, but Jasmine admitted to him what was troubling her. "I just don't feel like dealing with everyone who treats me badly because I'm not rich like you or your family."

This was one of the first times when Jasmine had fully expressed her reluctance to enter the affluent areas of the island and it caught Riku slightly off guard. "Are you asha—?"

"It's not shame," she interrupted hastily, pulling her hand from his, "I just don't feel like dealing with snobs who probably don't even want to serve me because I don't have millions of dollars floating about."

Riku said nothing. Instead, he took hold of her hand once again and pulled her into one of the nearest clothing stores for teens. Uncharacteristically, she clung to his side and stared in wonder at everything inside. Riku stopped in the middle of the store and two saleswomen approached the two. The first was clearly cheating time with her tight face and her visibly dyed platinum hair. The second was a younger girl who wore diamond earrings in her ears that most likely cost more than half the items in the store.

"Riku," she greeted cheerfully, "it's wonderful to see you again. It's been so long." She completely passed over Jasmine.

The second salesperson stared curiously at the girl on Riku's arm. "Might I ask who this is? Does she work for your family?"

Embarrassed beyond belief, Jasmine started to back up until Riku yanked her forward.

"No," Riku began coldly. "This is my girlfriend, recently signed artist Faye Jasmine Silva under Angela's record label. She's working on her and Demyx's joint single which is supposed to be released in a few weeks…"

Had it not been for the fact that Riku had a death grip on her, she would have run away and hid in a corner to hide her shocked expression. 'GIRLFRIEND?' her mind screamed.

Riku continued, "And if you two or anyone else here in this district decide you want to turn your nose up at someone, just keep in mind that Angela owns half the shops here and she doesn't tolerate discrimination." His hardened blue eyes had clearly shaken the two women who paled instantly at the sight of them. "As for _her_, if you even so much as treat her less than you would my mother, I'll make sure Angela hears of this and," he chuckled darkly, "well, let's just say I'd be worried about your future here. Remember, you work here, you don't shop here."

Jasmine was a little taken back by how…_severe_ he was with the sales assistants. It's not that they didn't need to be reprimanded for their behavior. 'But wow…' Jasmine thought stunned. No one had ever stood up for her in that way before.

The two women, obviously shaken, bowed their heads before Jasmine and apologized.

"You can leave," Riku told them shortly. "We can handle it from here."

In a matter of seconds they scurried to the back of the store, presumably to the lounge where they collected themselves and shake off Riku's icy stare.

"You can be a bit scary," Jasmine whispered.

"You won't have to worry about them anymore," Riku told her. He led Jasmine to the side for girl's clothes. "Pick out two outfits," he instructed. "We're having dinner with my parents then we're going out later to this club with some of my cousins."

"G-Girlfriend?" she stammered.

Riku laughed at her obvious confusion and led her through the store. "I figured that it would be easier to just add a little bit extra. If I were to say 'friend', it wouldn't have had the same effect."

While Jasmine had to admit that Riku had a point, she was still awestruck by the whole situation. Riku mindlessly flipped through the rack of dresses while Jasmine cleared her throat. "And since when did you know about the contract and me working with Demyx?"

Riku paused. "You didn't seriously think that my mom wouldn't tear into me for not giving you the contract, did you?"

Another valid point made.

"I'm lucky to be out of the house as we speak," Riku added, secretly wishing he could block out the vivid memory of his mother yelling at him for his behavior. "She told me everything about how you two have been working already on the single. It should come out after your birthday I believe."

"That's right," Jasmine said absently.

Riku handed Jasmine a blue mini dress. "I know it's not your favorite color, but I think you'll look really good in this."

Jasmine put her hand over his. "Why?"

"Come again?"

Jasmine gripped his hand tighter. "Why did you give your mother the voice recording of me in the first place?"

Riku froze. He knew this was coming. The moment he handed his mother the recording, he'd have to explain why he did what he did.

"You're asking me why I showed her the phone recording, right?"

"Yes," Jasmine pleaded.

'Because you're amazing and everyone else needs to see it too,' he thought helplessly, trying his hardest to not let himself slip up and tell her everything. But with each passing day, Riku was finding it difficult to not take Jasmine away from everyone and just go with what he felt. But he wasn't used to this sort of uncertainty and therefore, for one of the first times in his life, Riku was hesitant.

"I just thought that maybe," he said slowly, "you might want to show everyone else that you're more than just some shut-in school girl." Riku pulled back from Jasmine and flipped mindlessly through the clothes. "It's time you started showing everyone how special you are." He shook his head. "In any case, let's get going." He shoved several pieces into her arms. "We've got a schedule to keep." Riku pointed to the dressing rooms and headed to the sofa at the back of the store.

Jasmine stood there, arms full of clothes with a heavy heart. 'What is going on with him?'

* * *

"So?" Sora's voice was on the other end of the line as Riku waited for Jasmine as she tried on dresses. "How's it going with you-know-who?"

Riku leaned back against the blindingly white sofa and stared blankly at the television screen in front of him. "She's trying on clothes right now."

Sora laughed. "So now it's that awkward moment when the guy has to wait for his girlfriend to try on clothes? I feel sorry for you."

Riku's eyes narrowed. "Didn't you have to do that with Kairi a few weeks ago? Besides," he lowered his voice, "she's not my girlfriend."

Sora snickered. "Not _yet_."

"I don't even know why I'm talking to you right now."

"Because you're my best friend and you need me right now. That's why."

Another saleswoman tapped Riku on the shoulder. Riku then told Sora, "Let's switch to text. Later," and ended the call. "Yes?"

"I think this dress is perfect for her," the saleswoman said with a smile. "No one else has looked better in it than your girlfriend."

At that moment, another assistant brought Jasmine out, who was blushing profusely, and had her stand a few feet away from Riku. "Well," she began, holding Jasmine's shoulders, "what do you think?"

Riku shamelessly found his eyes scanning over Jasmine from head to toe over and over again. At this point, he didn't even care that she was aware of this. "Do you like it, Faye?" he asked, still taken by her.

Jasmine merely nodded her head. "I actually do." She attempted to look at the price tag but Riku sped towards her and smacked her hand away.

"We'll take it," he told the sales associates. "But I'd like one that hasn't been tried on."

"Right away, Sir." The women hustled to the back of the store before Riku handed them his credit card.

Once they were gone Jasmine hissed, "What are you thinking? NOTHING in this store is under two hundred dollars!"

Riku shrugged his shoulders. "And your point is?" He gently pushed her back towards the dressing room. "Keep it moving."

"Go easy on me!" she yelled, pulling back the curtains. "I'm not one of those guys on the blitzball team!"

Under his breath Riku whispered, "That's for sure."

* * *

'I feel like we're at an engagement party,' Jasmine thought as she and Riku entered grand dining room in a restaurant. Here Jasmine had imagined that it would just be her, Riku and his mom and dad. It was as if most of his family was sitting around a gorgeous table in a beautiful environment that looked like it was pulled straight from a movie.

Riku, who changed into a suit for the event, led Jasmine around the room to meet his relatives. He introduced her by her full name and as his date for the night (causing Jasmine to tense up) as well as one of his mother's latest clients.

"So," one of Riku's cousins who was a year ahead of him said, "you're the one from Demyx's video that all my friends are talking about…"

Jasmine blushed. "Guilty?"

Riku's cousin (Jasmine remembered his name was Dante) smiled and patted Riku on the shoulder. "Good job," he said with a grin, running a hand through his dark spiky hair, "you're finally coming up in the world."

Riku chuckled. "Jealous?"

Dante laughed and took a quick glance at Jasmine. "Just a bit."

Angela and Ryo rushed over to Jasmine and Riku with the first wrapping her arms around Jasmine as if she were her child. "I'm so glad you could come! Ryo has been wanting to see you since Christmas day. I'm glad you could help us celebrate his birthday."

The warmth that came from Angela was so comforting that Jasmine almost didn't want to break the embrace. "I'm glad I could too." Jasmine looked from Angela to Riku's father Ryo and smiled. "You have been nothing but kind to me. I just _wish_…" Jasmine shot a glance at Riku who was talking to a few of his cousins, "Riku would have told me ahead of time it was his dad's birthday. I would have at _least_ gotten him a card."

Ryo placed a hand on Jasmine's shoulder. "Just the company is a gift enough. However," he led Jasmine away from the group and walked her out of the main dining room and out near the balcony, "there is one thing I've wanted to talk to you about since you came by on Christmas day."

Jasmine stopped and folded her hands. "Of course."

"I have a new movie coming out within the next six months, a fantasy film," he added, adjusting his glasses. "We've come up with a theme song but we have yet to find someone to sing it. Angela gave me a preview of the demo you and Demyx are working on and it would be an honor if you were to provide your vocals for the track."

It was as if everything was just falling into place for Jasmine. How many people in this life had the opportunity to star in a music video with a multi-platinum artist, attend one of the most prestigious, wealthy high schools on this side of the world, obtain a record deal at sixteen from one of the top labels in the world, and now sing for a major motion picture? None. Jasmine felt her head swirling from all the activity going on and steadied herself by placing her hand against the wall.

"If you're busy," Ryo said hastily, not wanting to overwork the girl, "I'll understand completely."

"No, no that's not it!" Jasmine was careful not to smudge her black eyeliner when she rubbed under her eyes. "It's just…" she laughed, "Things like this don't happen to people like me. I'm still in shock at having received a contract in the first place."

Ryo grinned, looking almost exactly like Riku when he did so. "Riku's told me so much about you, Jasmine," he began slowly. "You're a hard worker, you care about your friends deeply, you have a lot of outside forces working against you and yet you're still able to overcome a lot of what is thrown your way. With all the bad that happens to good people, eventually they get what they deserve and do in fact find happiness. Perhaps you're just getting all that you deserve out of life. At least, that's what I believe anyway."

Jasmine's heart swelled with emotions she hadn't felt in a long time. Tossing aside all propriety, Jasmine hugged Riku's father with all the strength she had and muttered, "Thank you so much," into his chest.

Ryo smiled down at Jasmine. She was so many things: strong, intelligent, calm, beautiful, kind and humble. He hadn't seen all this in a young person and Ryo realized at that point why his son was so smitten with the girl.

"Don't even worry about it. You're part of the family now," Ryo then muttered under his breath,"future daughter-in-law…"

"Pardon me?" Jasmine took on a puzzled expression.

Ryo caught himself and led Jasmine back to the dining area. "Nothing," he said cheerfully. "Absolutely nothing…"

* * *

Jasmine threw the more conservative dress she wore for the dinner party into the back from where the party dress Riku had suggested came from. As she looked in her reflection, Jasmine found it hard trying to recognize the face staring back at her. Without a doubt now, she knew that being at the school had changed her. She was always that girl who sat in isolation, studying long into the night for placement exams and other tests. Now she did all that, had a record deal, performed with one of the top musicians out right now, and was partying with elite socialites. And now she was the "date" for one of the most desired boys in her school.

'I can't believe this is happening.' Jasmine ran a comb through her long locks. 'But maybe Tifa was right from the beginning. Maybe I _should _just enjoy myself a little bit more. Who knows how long this happiness will last?'

Jasmine slipped on the royal blue dress Riku picked out for her. It was definitely not something she would have picked out for herself months ago. It was a fitted halter dress with a box neckline and reached halfway up her thighs. But aside from the length that was daring, it was backless. Her senses told her that either, Riku just liked the color, or he wanted to see her in a short dress.

She reached into her purse and pulled out the make-up bag Riku threw in there for her. 'Why not have a bit of fun tonight?' She drew her black eyeliner on her top and bottom lids and reached for the eyeshadow pallet. 'I've worked hard for years.' Jasmine put on a similar and less dramatic blue and silver smoky eye that the makeup artists used for Demyx's video, glad that she paid attention to how they worked.

Jasmine stashed everything away and threw on the towering black stilettos with silver straps. For once, she decided to let her hair hang loosely and packed away all her belongings.

'You like him,' the more emotional part of her mind told her. 'It's time you stopped denying it.'

The more reserved, studious part of her mind argued. 'It's not like he likes me.'

'You don't know that,' her emotions argued. 'Besides, you've got nothing to lose. Live a little.'

Jasmine took a deep breath and took hold of the bag. "Oh why the hell not?"

Once Jasmine was out in the open air, she walked to Riku's car where he and some of his cousins were standing. When the clicking of Jasmine's heels became louder as she approached, the group cranked their necks to where the sound originated.

Riku cut through the group and met Jasmine halfway. He offered her a smile of approval. "I like it."

"Me too," she whispered, handing Riku the bag and looping her arm through his. "Ready to go?"

Riku was stunned. She looked even more amazing now than she did in the store when she tried the dress on. But there was something else there making Jasmine shine. He sensed a bit of change. Was it that she felt more confident now? Was she having a good time and therefore her attitude changed? Either way, Riku liked it.

"Yeah," he opened the door for Jasmine and shut it when she got inside. He waved to his cousins before getting in the car and tossing her bag behind his seat. With that Riku sped off down the street. Once he cleared his throat, Riku said, "You really do look amazing."

Jasmine blushed shyly and thanked him. "I'm glad I went out with you tonight. I'm having fun."

"That's all I want," Riku replied, happy that the evening was going well.

"I'm going to be honest though," Jasmine spoke up, looking at the cars they passed on the freeway, "I really don't see you much as a dancer."

Riku chuckled. "Really now?"

"Yeah really," she told Riku. "I picture you more as one of those guys hanging out, watching and critiquing others on their dancing. I didn't even see you dance at homecoming."

"I was definitely there dancing with Alex. You were on the other side of the club with Roxas. That's why you didn't see me."

Jasmine laughed and coiled her fingers through the tips of her hair. "Guess I was in another world then."

"Oh trust me, you were."

She glanced at Riku, then back to the road ahead of them.

"My cousin, Dante, has a huge crush on you," Riku admitted.

Jasmine blinked. "Well he seems nice but I don't know him."

"I'm just warning you now, don't be surprised if he snatches you up for a dance."

With a chuckle, Jasmine replied, "Thanks for the warning."

"Of course, of course."

* * *

Jasmine fell back against a sofa and laughed with Riku's girl cousins.

"Did you see that guy over in the back?" one of them asked Jasmine. "He definitely looked mad when you left him."

Jasmine raised her arms up defensively. "We were just talking," she yelled over the loud music. "I thought we were finished with our conversation."

With that, two of his cousins broke out into a fit of laughter and leaned against each other for support.

The first, a platinum blond with jade eyes placed her hand on Jasmine's shoulder and leaned close. "I'm mad Riku didn't bring you around sooner. We could have gone partying!"

Jasmine smiled ruefully. "To be honest, I'm not really a 'party person' if that makes any sense." But it was true. She was having the time of her life partying with Riku's family. They were all really nice and easy to get along with. In all honesty, Jasmine could have possibly been friends with them outside of the party. It was nice to be able to find people to hang out with outside of her usual group of friends. She'd never trade them for anything in the world. But it was still nice.

The second with short, cropped blond hair and sky blue eyes looked shocked. "Really? I would've never guessed. Why didn't Riku take you out sooner?"

Jasmine paused for a second. "We're not really 'together' like that…"

The first girl smacked the second roughly on her exposed thigh. "Andrea! They're just friends."

Andrea rolled her gorgeous eyes. "Oh shut up, Raven. You know good and well that Riku—"

The trio stopped talking when Riku approached them. He kneeled forward towards them so that they could hear him over the pumping music of the club. "You guys having fun?"

Andrea and Raven wrapped their arms around Jasmine. "Of course!" the cheered simultaneously.

Raven said, "The DJ is really good tonight!"

"And there are a lot of really hot guys here too!" Andrea added.

Riku rolled his eyes. "Regardless, they have to go through me."

"Looks like you've got him on big brother mode," Jasmine teased.

Andrea waved Riku off. "Yeah yeah I know the drill." She nudged Jasmine in the ribs. "He's always like this. I'm gonna die alone with Riku here trying to watch out for all the guys I hang out with."

"Hey!" he pointed to Andrea. "But you can't say I'm not looking out for you."

She ruffled Riku's hair and he playfully swatted her away. Jasmine was amazed. She had never seen Riku act so protectively over anyone beside Sora or Kairi. It was actually refreshing.

"I'm twenty!" Andrea shouted.

"Doesn't matter." Riku then turned his attention to Jasmine. "Having fun?"

Jasmine nodded. "Yeah I am."

As soon as the song, he looked up and leaned close to her ear. "Let's go."

Knowing automatically what he meant, Jasmine's heart fluttered and was thankful for the club's insanely dim lighting. He reached for her hands and pulled her to her feet.

"Have fun you two!" the cousins giggled.

Riku took Jasmine to the middle of the dancefloor and wrapped his arms around her waist while she wrapped hers around his neck, keeping up with the beat of the music.

"I'm glad you're having a good time," he told her. "I know this isn't your scene…"

Jasmine pulled Riku even closer. "I love dancing. I just never have the time to go out or anything like that."

"Sorry for keeping you out," he apologized.

Jasmine stared him blankly in the eye and smirked. "Oh shut up you're not sorry."

Riku couldn't deny how attractive that smirk looked on her face. "You're right. You know it's past one in the morning right?"

"We've been here for three HOURS?" Jasmine asked, now alarmed. "Tifa is gonna kill—"

"I called her yesterday and told her that we might not be back until later on tonight," Riku assured her. "You're safe."

Jasmine stared at him curiously. "So you planned this way out back then? No wonder she seemed happy to let me go to school today…" She was stunned overall. Riku had gone above and beyond to make sure that Jasmine enjoyed herself. It was still a bit startling that he would go to such great lengths for her. This did nothing for her growing attraction to Riku.

"She gave me the 'okay' a few days ago. I just had to confirm it yesterday."

The whole situation as a whole did nothing for her feelings towards Riku. Here she was, isolated from all her friends and from everyone at school in a dimly lit nightclub with amazing music. She was already a bit hot and flustered from dancing for nearly three hours straight, but now to be here with Riku (who as it turned out was a great dancer) with their bodies so close they were almost touching with the heat from around them crashing down on them, Jasmine almost found it difficult to breathe with her heart racing as erratically as it did.

"Well I'm happy you did it," she told him with a smile. "Thank you."

With everything that was going on around him, Riku was finding it hard to focus on Jasmine's words. "Don't say 'thank you' yet. This is only part one of the apology."

"There's more?" Jasmine pulled some of her hair out of her face.

Riku smirked. "Yeah, but it's a secret."

The song slowed down considerably to the "I Think She Knows Interlude" by Justin Timberlake. They stopped for a moment and Riku took her by the hand to the back of the club to a more deserted area near a lounge. At this point, they could just _barely _make out each other's faces so Jasmine held tight to Riku.

'Live a little,' an inner voice told Jasmine. 'You're having fun. Don't tense up now.'

Jasmine listened to her inner voice and let all other thoughts fade into the music. She turned her back to him and pressed her body gently against his as she danced with slow, enticing movements (not taking it too far) that caught Riku off guard.

Up until now, Riku had been cautious with putting his hands on Jasmine for fear of driving her away. Now she was taking the initiative to step a little bit out of character and SHE was the one being forward. But he couldn't say that he didn't like it. The way her body moved fluidly and flawlessly with the music, the way she wasn't afraid to close the distance between them when they danced and the ease in which she did all these things nearly hypnotized Riku.

No longer fearing rejection, Riku grabbed her waist and pulled her even tighter to him, causing her to giggle. He figured now was a good a time as ever to test the waters a bit. As the song droned on, Riku wasn't afraid to touch Jasmine. Once or twice, he let his hand lightly graze her thighs and even though Jasmine gasped, it was more of satisfaction than anything else. He kept himself under control for sure it seemed as though she was letting loose a bit more. Why not go for it?

Once the song was over and several songs later, Jasmine turned to face him and latched her arms around his neck once more, continuing to dance with him as she did so.

"Okay fine," she whispered, noting that their faces were dangerously close at this point, "you can dance. I'm not gonna say you can't from here on out." Tired from dancing for an extended period of time, Jasmine leaned against the wall they were near and caught her breath.

Over Riku's shoulder, she caught two boys staring at them with contempt in their eyes. "What are they looking at?" she asked him.

Riku nonchalantly shrugged and held fast onto her waist, pressing his body slightly against hers. "They're just jealous that they're not the ones dancing with you. I'd be pissed too if I missed out on the prettiest girl here."

"And I'm sure you've told other girls this," her hands slid down until they were at his toned chest.

Riku sighed and dragged her over to a couch where they sat in privacy. Jasmine took a seat right next to him and Riku cautiously grabbed one of her hands. "I'm not just telling you all the right things or everything you wanna hear, Faye. I'm being fully honest here and have been for a while. You just have to learn to trust me."

"I do trust you," she argued, noticing that once again their faces were much too close. "I'm here aren't I?"

Riku gently caressed her cheek and pressed his forehead to hers. Regardless of what Jasmine said, Riku still felt a bit of hesitation to her words. He knew for a fact that there was something deeper going on with her but he was determined to show her that he was sincere.

"Do you wanna leave?" He asked her, squeezing her hand.

She answered, "Yes. I don't want to give Tifa a heart attack."

"Let's go then." With that, Riku sighed inwardly as the distance between the two of them widened. 'So close…'

* * *

Once Riku and Jasmine were back at the latter's home, they pulled to a stop in front of her driveway.

Jasmine opened the car door and stared at the house. "Looks like Tifa decided to get some rest."

Riku glanced at his cell phone. "Well it is three in the morning," he told her, handing Jasmine her belongings. "If we waited any longer the sun would be up."

She laughed nervously. "Yeah I don't think Tifa or Zack would be too thrilled with that."

"I still think Zack wants to kill me," Riku commented, carrying her belongings to the front door.

Jasmine unlocked it and she and Riku threw her bags in the entryway. "Just be glad he didn't bring out that freakish sword of his." They walked into the entryway and she lowered her voice. "I'm not so sure you would have wanted to deal with…"

Her voice faded when she felt Riku's cool breath running down her neck. Jasmine froze after she turned around to face him. When she looked into Riku's eyes, her heart nearly stopped for Riku had a completely torn and heartbroken expression on his face.

"Riku?" she whispered. "What's wrong?"

"This isn't going to work," he said finally.

Her heart nearly stopped as he said this. "What are you talking about?"

Riku closed his eyes. This next part was going to be difficult but it had to be done. "I'm not going to do this anymore, Faye."

"I don't get it. Do _what_?" she stressed.

"I'm tired of having to tip toe around the fact that I have feelings for you with no real given indication of what you've got on your mind. The normal things I do for you I'd do for any of my friends, but I go the extra mile _because _I have feelings for you that go beyond friends," he confessed.

Jasmine's voice was caught in her throat. Out of all things she had expected him to say, this was the _last _thing she imagined coming out of his mouth.

"Yes I've been horrible to you at times but you know better than anyone else that I only do those things when I can't make sense of what's going on," Riku continued. "I've tried getting over you, I've tried just being your friend. Clearly it's not working."

"What are you getting at Riku?"

"I want you as more than just a friend and it's killing me to not know what's going through your head or what you're feeling. It's like I'm getting mixed signals." Riku brushed her bangs out of her face, "I think I could make you happy but you've got to _let_ me do that. However," his tone became somber, "if you don't want me at all, I'll move on."

It all became painfully clear now why Riku had acted the way he had towards her: he had legitimate feelings for her. Otherwise, the usually calm, somewhat arrogant junior she had come to know wouldn't have behaved in such extremes. He was acting out from confusion over his emotions.

"Is this an ultimatum?" Jasmine asked, slightly panicked. 'Tell him how you feel NOW!' Her mind screamed. 'Here's your chance! Go!' Yet she could only stand there and let everything sink in.

"No," he replied with a rueful smile. "I know I've probably dropped a lot on you tonight so I won't ask for a straightforward answer. But I can't wait forever."

"I'm just shocked that you're waiting on someone as confused and mixed up as me in the first place," she crossed her arms over her chest and looked past him, refusing to meet his gaze for fear of falling to her knees.

Riku shrugged his shoulders and caressed her cheek. "It's because I'm in love with you, that's why."

Before Jasmine could say anything else, Riku leaned forward (still holding her face) and gently pressed his lips to her. For Jasmine though, the kiss (despite its purity and sincerity) ended much too quickly and when Riku broke it, her lips trembled.

"Thank you," Riku said with a pure smile she hadn't seen from him before, "I haven't had that much fun in a while. I'll see you later." With that, Riku turned on his heel and left, closing the door behind him as quietly as he could.

Only when she heard his car drive off into the night did Jasmine make any movement. She slipped to the floor (possibly from feeling so completely lightheaded) and placed her hands over her heart.

'Love? Did he just say he _loved _me?'

And suddenly, now more than ever, Jasmine wished that she had chased after him and told him everything that she felt. She had a chance, and she missed it. Jasmine curled into herself on the cool tile floor and shut her eyes.

'What have I done?'


	39. Chapter 39: Happy Birthday

**Author's Comments: **Well it looks like I have a lot of explaining to do. This is probably the longest…no wait, this is the longest chapter of the story period. There's so much going on here that I had to keep looking back and forth to make sure all the information was correct. Today was such a good day that I guess all the inspiration just flowed out.

I wanna thank EVERYONE who read, faved, alerted and reviewed this story and all the other ones. It's kind of strange, every time another story gets updated, this story gets the most views during that time period. Oh well. I'm not complaining. I wanna thank my reviewers (my there are a lot of you guys this time) starting from **animechick247, KittyFox1, Catalyna Cullen, ShatterTheHeavens, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Lazyxafternoons, NoodleOodles34, ventus4ever, Frooky90, Misspettyfer, xCarryOnDancingx, tiredgirl, Kanika Meskhenet, Khaotic Kal **and **Xion's Person **for the reviews! Thank you everyone for sticking with me.

Anywho, onto the chapter and tell me what you think. Take care and enjoy!

-Skye

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. The only things I own are the OCs. Promise.

* * *

"I swear," Demyx began, taking a bite out of his chow mien with his chopsticks, "if you weren't underage, we'd be drinking to celebrate your recent romantic win."

Jasmine rested her face on his comfortable couch and exhaled. "You're not old enough to drink either!"

Demyx set his chopsticks in his take-out container. "So? This is a momentous occasion!" He threw his arms wildly in the air. "I just _knew _he had feelings for you! No wonder he's been trippin' out lately! It makes total sense now!"

She played with the zipper on her jacket. "This went _way _too far," Jasmine said quietly. Then her voice rose in volume. "I should have NEVER gotten into that car with him that day!"

Demyx jumped out of his seat and stood over Jasmine. "What are you talking about? He loves you, you have feelings for him. I don't see why you can't just suck it up, make it easy on the both of you and just tell him you love him."

Jasmine felt her chest knot up. "I never said I loved him."

Dramatically, Demyx clutched his chest and fell back against the carpet, narrowly missing the glass coffee table. "I'm not even in this twisted up love story of yours, but that hurt ME."

"Well technically you are," she said distantly.

"True," Demyx sat up. "I'm that person who randomly pops up to help you with your problems. That's who I am in the scheme of things."

Jasmine looked at her cell phone. She had two missed text messages from Roxas, one missed call from Kairi, and one voicemail from Riku, all of which she hadn't noticed until now.

"So," Demyx plopped down beside her on the couch, "when are you going to tell him how you feel for him? Coming from a person who's watched this situation in its most dangerous stages, I'd say that you might actually love him. Why else would you be this patient with him? You pretty much hate men."

Jasmine remained silent.

"Are you in denial? I think you are," Demyx said tiredly. "This is always the hardest part."

"What is?"

"Trying to get a stubborn person to admit they love someone else when that couple has had severely unsettling issues."

Before Jasmine could respond, Demyx threw a legal pad her way with a pen. "What—?"

Demyx held up a hand. "Don't talk. Start writing down everything you feel. Who knows when a good opportunity like this to write a song will arise?"

"Demyx," Jasmine whined. "I can't do anything right since he opened his mouth and told me that he loved me. It's like," she looked at her hands, "I'm daydreaming in my classes, studying is nearly impossible, and when I was cooking, I almost burned the food!"

"Because you're in love!" Demyx shouted. "Why is it that you can't see this? I swear, you're gonna start slipping and everyone is going to catch on quickly. You don't strike me as the type of girl who wants a lot of people in her business."

Jasmine bit the inside of her cheek. Demyx was right. She didn't want people to figure out what was going on before things got settled and she and Riku actually talked about this (even though she dreaded the conversation).

"Well—I" Jasmine was shortly cut off.

"Bah! No talking, just write!" Demyx commanded.

* * *

Sora clicked his pen and set it on his desk back at home. He turned in his revolving chair until he was facing Riku.

"You told Jasmine you loved her," Sora repeated this for the seventh time since Riku told him about three minutes ago.

Riku, mildly irritated, rested on Sora's bed. "For the millionth time, YES! I told Jasmine that I loved her when I took her home."

Judging from Riku's mood, it didn't sound like it went well. Sora felt bad for him. 'Why can't Jasmine and Riku just be open with each other?'

Then Riku smiled softly. "But I purposely left her before she could say anything else to me."

"Why would you do that?" Sora inquired. Ever since Riku had run across Jasmine, it seemed as though the older teen rarely made sense.

"Faye isn't the type of girl who responds well—"

Sora cut him. "Wait? Who?"

Riku frowned. He'd used her true name again. "Jasmine's first name is Faye. But she doesn't really liked to be called that. Just don't tell her that I told you. She'd kill me."

"I actually like her name," Sora thought out loud. "But no worries; we don't need to give her a reason to start hating you…again."

"Seriously," Riku sighed in exasperation. There was no way he could survive another major blowout between himself and Jasmine before the end of the year. "But back to what I was saying, she's openly stated that she's not used to being treated the way she's been treated previously by all of us—in a good way of course. And she's a bit stubborn to admit to whatever she's feeling."

"I'm sure getting a bomb like that dropped on her would probably freak her out," Sora noted, understanding Jasmine a little bit more with this new information. "She never seemed like the type of person to put her feelings out there so easily."

Riku yawned. Thoughts about his situation with Jasmine made it difficult for him to sleep at night. "Anyway, her birthday is Thursday."

Sora's eyes widened in excitement. "I know! We've been working on it for a while now. I'm sure she'll love it."

"I hope so. I just want to give her the birthday she deserves."

* * *

Jasmine ticked her index and middle finger as she waited for the sun to come up from behind the other houses on the Destiny Islands. Her eyes narrowed as light began to peak over them and she leaned against the headboard, no expression visible on her face.

'Happy Birthday to me,' she told herself mentally, sighing heavily after the thought.

Jasmine never enjoyed her birthday. Most consider this as a celebration of the day they were to be born and to have fun with family and friends, but since she was alone for a great deal of them after she turned nine, Jasmine just locked herself into her room and watched television if her studies would allow it. It was just like Christmas: another reminder of her unwanted loneliness.

But this year she had bigger things on her mind other than her day of birth. The music video was to premiere on Friday, the day after her birthday and she had a lot riding on the song and video. What if people didn't like her voice? What if they thought she was too young? What if they criticized her dance moves or clothes? What if her parents found out and decided to yank her away from the label? With all this on her mind, Jasmine didn't find it necessary to worry about something as trivial as a birthday.

Just then, her bedroom door flew open and Yuffie came sprinting into the bedroom and dove on top of Jasmine.

"Oh my goodness! You're aging! Happy Birthday!" Yuffie squealed as she squeezed the life out of Jasmine.

Jasmine felt herself losing the ability to breathe. "T-Thanks Y-Yuffie…" she stammered, trying to recover from being winded by the short, hyperactive woman.

When she looked up, Tifa, Zack, Aerith and even Cloud were all standing around her bed with smiles on their faces with Aerith holding a birthday cake. Despite her own feelings towards her birthday, Jasmine managed a small half-smile.

"Happy Birthday!" Everyone cheered. Aerith rushed over to Jasmine and had her blow out the candles, which she did. All those with free hands clapped and (only after Zack was able to pull Yuffie off Jasmine) did Tifa give the girl a hug.

"You know you can stay home today if you want," Tifa told her. "It's your birthday after all."

Jasmine sincerely wished that she _could _stay home from school. But if she were to stay home, she'd get behind on her studies and that wasn't something she wanted to mess with. "No, it's okay. I'll just make it through the day and come home. Nothing is going on afterschool. No extra study sessions or anything."

"Aren't your friends planning anything?" Zack asked.

Jasmine hopped out of bed and pulled her uniform from her closet. "I didn't tell them it was my birthday. Didn't see the need."

Yuffie and Aerith exchanged glances while Zack and Cloud did the same. Tifa seemed to be the only one who fully understood what Jasmine meant by this and her heart ached for the girl.

'For someone who's seen so much loneliness, she should really get a break once in a while,' Tifa thought sadly.

Jasmine turned around and thanked everyone sincerely for coming over to greet her on her day.

"If nothing pops up, we're gonna take you all to dinner," Zack told Jasmine, wrapping his strong arms around her. "It'll be great!"

She managed another small smile. "That would be nice."

The doorbell rang and Cloud left to answer it.

"Hey!" Yuffie pointed to Jasmine. "It's your birthday. You should at _least _look excited! You're seventeen now! Pretty soon you'll be going off to college and partying at real clubs and all that kind of stuff!"

A flashback of Jasmine and Riku dancing at the club made Jasmine's face turn a shade of red. To counter this, she shifted through her drawers for a purple ribbon to tie back her (in her opinion) almost excessively long hair. "I think I'm good on that for a while."

Tifa laughed. "She went out with that boy Riku. They didn't come home till nearly four in the morning."

Zack and Yuffie's jaws dropped and Jasmine swore mentally.

'Damn it, Tifa. Here we go,' Jasmine cringed.

The tall, blue eyed SOLDIER took Jasmine by the shoulders and shook her roughly. "And _why _were you out that late with some boy, young lady?"

"Yeah! I need an explanation too!" Yuffie piped up.

"His father and mother wanted to see me, that's why I went with him!" Jasmine shouted. "Nothing happened!"

Once again, Jasmine was lying. But it was better for everyone (except Tifa) to stay in the dark about this. Besides, Riku didn't need to turn up missing because Zack kidnapped and/or killed him. Knowing how crazy Zack was, Jasmine wouldn't put it past him to try something like that.

When Cloud returned, he did so with an arm full of gorgeous, long stemmed red roses and a silver bag in his hand. "These are for you," he said as he handed Jasmine the flowers. She had to be careful because the flowers were so heavy. There must have been _at least_ two dozen roses there.

"Who are they from?" Aerith asked curiously, admiring the flowers.

Jasmine shifted the flowers in her arms to grab the small card there. Upon seeing the name, she rolled her eyes and set the plants on her desk and carelessly set aside the bag.

"No one important," she said blandly.

Tifa carefully watched Jasmine's expression and walked over to the desk. When she saw the name, her eyes narrowed. "Vanitas gave you these?"

"I'd say so," Jasmine replied nonchalantly. "If it weren't for the fact that I can't throw away flowers that aren't dying, I'd toss them out the window right about now."

Yuffie nudged Aerith in the arm. "Who's Vanitas?" she whispered.

Aerith bent down to Yuffie's level. "I'll tell you later."

"What did this Vanitas kid do to you?" Zack asked, less than pleased at the idea of so many boys paying Jasmine special attention.

"He's one of my father's people. It's like he's the son my father always wanted. I just don't like him."

Zack relaxed. As long as this didn't turn into another potential boyfriend, he was alright with it. Besides, Jasmine already said that she didn't like him. That just made his job easier.

"Well regardless," Tifa began, "I hope you have a wonderful day. I'll text you on your lunch hour to work out some plans."

"Thank you," Jasmine said as she stretched, secretly dreading this birthday more than all the others combined.

* * *

Absolutely nothing about this day was different than any other day. Jasmine entered the school grounds with her usual, reserved state of being, went through the majority of her classes and took notes like the diligent student she was. However, Jasmine couldn't help but feel a bit of disappointment. She knew no one would know that it was her birthday simply because she didn't tell anyone, but still, other than Tifa and her family, Jasmine had hoped that maybe just _one _person would wish her a happy birthday.

It reminded Jasmine of all the times back in grade school when it was time for someone's birthday in the class, and everyone would gather around that person with love and affection, wishing them the best on their special day. But the students then at the parochial school she went to in elementary, and the co-ed prep school in from middle and the first part of high school, they didn't care. Because she spent so much time by herself because the kids would tease her about being shy, she didn't even bother mentioning it. She just resigned to letting herself go unnoticed for most of her years.

The bell for lunchtime rang once Jasmine snapped herself out of her thoughts. She sighed and pushed her glasses back on her face and put her things away, the last one in the class remaining.

Once everything was put away, Jasmine blew out her bangs. 'The music video premieres tomorrow. I just hope it doesn't blow up in my—'

All of a sudden Jasmine's vision was obscured by some thick piece of cloth and she shouted. Then, just as suddenly, she was hoisted out of her seat by (from what Jasmine could tell) two men and then was carried out of the classroom.

Jasmine kicked and tried to pry her way out of their grip with all her might and almost got dropped to the floor. The two men moaned and scrambled to pick Jasmine back up which they did, getting a tighter grip on her legs and rushing forward.

After a good twenty seconds, Jasmine heard a door slide open and she felt air from said door hit her body. 'What the hell is going on?'

Jasmine felt her body being set on the floor and yet the two men still had a grip on her. She heard a click and soon the cloth that was over her face was ripped off, light flooding her vision.

"Happy Birthday, Jasmine!" The group cheered.

Jasmine did not say anything. Instead she sat on her knees with a completely blank and dumbfounded expression on her face. There in an empty, yet decorated classroom was Kairi, Naminé, Selphie, Roxas, Sora, Riku and Tidus, all standing around her with smiles painted on their faces. Jasmine was beyond confused.

"I think she's a bit stunned guys," Kairi teased as she ran over and pulled Jasmine to her feet, wrapping her arms around the taller girl in a hug.

"I thought I was being kidnapped," she said, still in awe from the entire event.

Sora and Tidus rubbed their wrists. "Yeah," the younger boy with brown hair said, wincing as he spotted a soon-to-be bruise on his wrist. "I _knew_ we should have gotten more people to get you."

Tidus groaned. "I'll say. You should consider joining a blitzball team. You kick harder than half the guys."

Suddenly embarrassed for how she reacted, she rushed over to Sora and Tidus and hugged them both. "I'm so sorry! I really thought that someone was trying to kidnap me."

Sora and Tidus returned the hug.

"Nah it's okay," Tidus then glared at Roxas and Riku. "Why didn't you guys help out? Especially you Roxas! She's your ex!"

Roxas smirked. "I thought it would be more entertaining if you guys did it."

Jasmine rolled her eyes and soon afterwards found herself in the center of a group hug that nearly left her breathless.

"How did you guys know it was my birthday?" She managed, laughing a bit as she started to teeter on her feet.

"We knew for at least a month," Naminé piped up. "You're a part of this group now. We're not gonna let your birthday slip by."

Kairi and Selphie broke away from Jasmine and brought over a large, beautifully decorated birthday cake. "Make a wish!"

Jasmine blushed. She was not used to all this attention on her at one time. Jasmine started to hide her face by staring at the floor and backed up, but as soon as she did so, she bumped into something solid and sturdy. Jasmine looked up to see Riku smiling down on her.

"Nope, no running away." There was a slight smile on his face that made Jasmine's heart melt. "Make a wish," Riku gently pushed Jasmine forward toward the cake and she skidded to a stop.

She looked around the room and felt as if she was having an out of body experience. No one besides her family (and by family Jasmine meant Tifa, Aerith and that group) had actually recognized and helped her celebrate her birthday. This was the first year where she really hadn't felt alone and she really didn't know how to react. What Jasmine did know, was that it felt nice.

Staring at the seventeen candles, Jasmine threw her braid behind her back and blew them all out in one continuous stream of breath.

Once the candles were gone, everyone clapped and cheered for the birthday girl.

Selphie ran forward and linked arms with Jasmine. "Oh you're gonna have the time of your life! We're gonna take you out part of today and tomorrow." The brunette squealed. "It's gonna be so much fun!"

"Um, isn't this enough?" Jasmine asked bashfully. "You guys don't have to do all that…"

"Nonsense!" Selphie got a tighter grip on her arm. "You deserve it!"

Kairi then added, "With all the work you do and how much you help us all out, we should do something nice for you. It's only fair."

Sora breathed out. "If it wasn't for you, I might have tanked in one of my classes." He grinned. "Let us take care of you for a couple of days."

Before Jasmine could reply, she felt her cell phone vibrate and she fished it out of her blazer. However, once Jasmine saw who was calling, her expression hardened.

Naminé took notice of this. "What's wrong?"

'Vanitas,' Jasmine frowned. "Just a little problem I have to work out really quick. This won't take long." She backed out of the classroom and shut the door behind her so no one could hear.

"What is it?" She asked harshly as she walked down the hall.

"That's a pretty harsh greeting for someone who spent a small fortune on you," Vanitas laughed into her ear.

Jasmine stopped when she was by one of the laundry rooms. "Well for someone who has definitely tried to physically _harm _me, you should expect nothing less." She leaned against the door. "In fact," her voice lightened up in a mock, cheerful tone, "you should be happy that I actually took the time to answer your call in the first place."

"Anyway," Vanitas seemed to be in a bit of a hurry, "I don't have a lot of time to talk. I'm at your father's office. Did you see what was in the gift bag?"

"No. I had to get to school. You know how us high school kids are," she said dryly.

"Yes I do, but that's not how _you _are. You're not most like most high school girls. But that's neither here nor there. Make sure that you're at your house by six o'clock tonight."

A wave of dread and worry washed over Jasmine. "Why?"

"I'm not allowed to treat you to something special on your birthday?" He asked innocently.

"Cut the angel act," she snapped, "you and I both know you're up to something. What is it?"

"Like I said, I just want to treat you to the birthday you absolutely deserve."

"Vanitas," Jasmine began slowly.

"I'll see you at six. Until then, birthday girl." And with that he hung up in Jasmine's face.

It wasn't until she turned off the phone that Jasmine realized she was shaking. How could it be, that one person, one man, could cause her to worry so much?

Jasmine took a deep breath. 'I'm not going to let him ruin my birthday. He's not going to take away my little bit of happiness.'

* * *

Jasmine watched closely as a manicurist spread a rich shade of purple across her nails with a sort of speed and precision she didn't think possible.

Kairi, who sat directly next to her at another manicurists' table, leaned over. "How do you like this spa?"

"It's awesome! Where did you guys find this place?" Jasmine looked around the enormous, glitzy spa.

"My mom used to come here all the time," Kairi explained. "A couple of times she'd bring me if I did well at the end of the semester."

Jasmine stared at the spa in wide-eyed wonder. "How much does—?"

Kairi held up a hand. "Don't even think about it! I'd tell you but I'm sure you'd mess up your manicure by freaking out. Remember, today is all for you. The manicure, pedicure, massage and then the makeup and hair are all a part of your birthday celebration. Then tomorrow we get to have even more fun."

"What's tomorrow?" she asked innocently.

The manicurist working with Kairi put a coat of sheer nail polish over her hot pink nails. "Tomorrow we have the guys' first blitzball game of the season. The first one is really cool. We have the halftime show, the band, the dance teams and of course the actual game."

Jasmine smiled. "I'm actually really excited about this game. I've never been to one." She then admitted, "I feel like I'm being spoiled."

"Please! This is your day! Allow us to spoil you at least once."

Jasmine closed her eyes. "I don't have the energy to try to fight this. I really appreciate it all. There's just so much going on right now that ANY time off is a bit of a blessing."

"Like what?" Kairi inquired. Then she added, "Wait! You don't have to tell me."

"Oh no it's fine." Jasmine fought the urge to hold out her hands but realized that she was getting a design put on her nails. "I just have a lot of stuff like studying to take care of, Demyx has a new video that premieres tomorrow as well at around 8 o'clock in the evening, and I have to go to dinner tonight with one of my dad's associates. Overall, it'll be a busy day."

Kairi blinked. "Demyx is in a new video? I didn't hear anything about a new single out tomorrow." She paused and laughed. "Maybe Selphie is losing her touch as his number one fan."

Jasmine bit her lip. She had nothing else to lose. Everyone would find out soon enough. It seemed as though whenever she stepped out of her "norm", it became news. Besides, it was Kairi she was talking to. The redhead had been nothing but a loyal friend to her since she arrived at the school.

"That's because it was announced yesterday morning," Jasmine told her. She looked up and the manicurists had went to the back for a quick second. No need in causing an uproar. "The record company offered me a contract after they heard me sing. The video that's going to premiere is my debut joint collaboration with Demyx."

Kairi screamed so loudly that everyone in the spa stopped what they were doing and turned to the redhead. Jasmine shushed her loudly.

"Okay," she hissed, "If I knew you were going to do that, I might not have told you in a public place."

Kairi blushed at the outburst and apologized. "But that's so exciting!" She lowered her voice but the excitement was still there. "I didn't even know you could sing!"

Jasmine replied, "I didn't really think much of it. Still don't. But it is what it is."

"After the game tomorrow, we'll all sit down and watch it together! It'll be so much fun."

Jasmine wasn't sure how much fun it would be. She'd rather not be in the room when they were watching. It would be less awkward that way. In addition to that, she didn't know how _he'd _react.

Just imagining what Riku might say nearly sent her heart into a frenzy. What if he didn't like it? What if he thought she sounded bad? Plus, how would she answer his feelings? That was probably the biggest problem of all.

"We'll see about that," Jasmine said finally, putting on a smile to hide her feelings. "Now where are Selphie and Naminé? I'm trying to enjoy that massage like they are."

* * *

Despite the fact that she had spent a relaxing day at the spa, Jasmine was still on pins and needles as Vanitas drove her to…wherever it was that she was going.

"You're quiet tonight," Vanitas said observantly, eyes never leaving the road.

"It's been a long day," she answered mildly.

Vanitas chuckled then. "For someone who just turned seventeen, you really don't have a great deal of energy."

Jasmine's eyes narrowed. "I'm not a fan of birthdays." She tried to make sense of her surroundings and realized that she was in an unfamiliar place. "Where are we going, Vanitas?"

"We're almost there," he told her calmly. "I thought we might change it up a bit. I know you're probably tired of all these restaurants."

Vanitas then turned onto a street near the ocean towards a group of penthouse apartments. Jasmine stared at them in wonder and then her eyes fell on Vanitas. "Are we at _your _place?" She felt her insides knot up. This did not seem like a good idea.

"Mhmm," when they drove up to the gates, Vanitas handed a card to the security guard who opened the gate before handing it back to him. "I thought we might try something a bit more intimate."

"Vanitas," Jasmine whipped around, eyes blazing, "what are you up to?"

Once Vanitas pulled into a parking space, he shut off the engine and got out the car.

Jasmine's heart continued to race. Everything about this seemed suspicious.

Vanitas had already opened her door for her. "I promise nothing bad is going to happen to you tonight. It's your birthday." His smile seemed to mask something sinister. "I'm only here to give you a good time."

"I swear Vanitas," Jasmine started darkly, "if you do ANYTHING tonight—"

He grabbed her hand and gently pulled her out of the car. "Listen to me…"

She hated how Vanitas seemed to be the only one who could cause chills to go up her spine in a bad way.

"I could be a nice guy you might actually enjoy being around _or_," his voice became dangerously low, "I can be your absolute worst nightmare and I'm quite positive you don't want that." Vanitas cleared his throat and grinned, all traces of anger and malice gone. "Now," he took hold of her hand and laced their fingers, "let's enjoy a nice dinner, huh?"

Jasmine didn't even protest when he grabbed her hand. She was more concerned with the hidden threat beneath his words. She was so far out of it that Jasmine wasn't even aware they had entered the lobby until she was practically blinded by the lights from the chandeliers up above.

Once they were in an elevator, Vanitas swiped his card key and the doors shut. Once the elevator began took off, Jasmine tried to calm her nerves by looking out of the glass window in the elevator that showed the calm ocean waters lit up by the twilight sky, finding her thoughts drifting to Riku. She wished dearly that she were spending her birthday with him or her friends instead of with Vanitas. As she stated earlier, Vanitas was NOT unattractive in any way. That wasn't the case. But his personality was so screwed up that she felt as though if she fell asleep around him she'd wake up in another country or something along those lines.

"Despite the tenseness of your face," Vanitas pointed out, "you look relaxed otherwise."

Jasmine did not want to upset him. She had no idea where she was and chances are he'd be her only way back home. "My friends took me to a spa today so I could relax."

"That was generous of them," he replied. "Are those friends from your school?"

The elevator stopped and Vanitas led Jasmine to his apartment. He took out a key, opened the door and stepped back, motioning for her to go in first which she did.

"Yes," she said distractedly as she stared in wonder at the apartment. Clearly Vanitas wasn't just some small time graduate student. That much she could tell from the simple fact that he lived in a penthouse apartment. But inside the apartment was sealed the deal. From the white and black streaked marble floors, to the priceless (and noticeably dark) artwork hanging on the walls, to the state of the art stereo system, enormous flat screen television, futuristic kitchen, Jasmine knew that his family was wealthy wherever they are.

"Safe to say you live here by yourself," Jasmine brushed a strand of hair from her off the shoulder, long sleeved black top Yuffie had bought her.

Vanitas set his keys on the glass entryway table. "I've been an orphan since I was thirteen so yes."

Suddenly, Jasmine felt a hint of sadness for Vanitas. Even though she did not like either of her parents, she still didn't think that being without them at that young age would have been very helpful to her. "I'm sorry, Vanitas."

"Don't be," he shrugged out of his jacket. "They died in a car accident."

Despite the fact that she detested Vanitas with a passion, Jasmine couldn't deny that there was a bit of humanity inside of him.

"So you're used to being alone," Jasmine noticed that they at least shared that in common and planned to use it as her only means of keeping her cool when dealing with him, "it must be hard."

"Actually I hated my parents," Vanitas stated bluntly, heading over to the table where a full course meal sat before them. Jasmine had to admit, everything from the salads, margarita grilled chicken and shrimp with rice and soup all looked amazing. She took a seat across from him far on the other end of the intricately carved cherry wood table. "My father was always away and when he came home, he beat me and my mother was always out when my father was gone on dates with different men. She turned around and beat _me_ just so I wouldn't say anything. So in all honesty, I could care less. At least they left me their money."

Jasmine was finding it startling how quickly her ire for the young man in front of her was disappearing. Even so, it only meant that she had to be on her guard. If Vanitas knew that she was beginning to feel sympathy for him then it would be easier for him to do whatever it is he wanted. He still found it in him to physically harm her (and now it made sense from his troubled past) and he could easily do it again.

She picked up the glass of water in front of her.

'I wish someone could get me out of here,' she thought sadly. 'This evening won't end well.'

* * *

"I'm sorry, Riku," Tifa told the silver-haired teen as he entered the house, "Jasmine is off with her father's business associates. She should be back at around nine."

Riku held onto the gold gift back he brought for Jasmine and inwardly frowned. He wished he could have spent more time with her today but he kept his distance in order to allow her time to have fun with her friends and not make things awkward.

"I see then," he said with another one of his charming smiles. "I can always come back later then."

"You want to give it to her in person I'm guessing?" Tifa asked him, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her sweatpants.

Riku nodded.

Tifa wasn't stupid. Ever since day one when she went to that school, she'd been watching Riku and Jasmine's relationship closely. She knew from the beginning that either they'd be bitter enemies or they'd fall for one another. The second of the two Tifa wanted more. All she wanted was for Jasmine to have a bit of happiness. She deserved it. Tifa was aware of the problems Riku and Jasmine had in the past but she believed with all her heart that they were probably supposed to be together.

"Riku," Tifa pushed herself off the wall she was leaning against, "are you in love with Jasmine?"

The question completely caught Riku off guard. Jasmine had once told him that Tifa was incredibly perceptive and as usual, Jasmine was right.

Riku sighed a bit and found his eyes locked to the floor beneath him. "Yes I am," he answered tiredly.

A small smile painted Tifa's face. "And does she know this?"

Riku looked up, sadness clear in his eyes. "I told her, but she hasn't given me an answer yet."

Tifa's laughter startled Riku and he was more than confused. Once she calmed down, she gave him an explanation. "I'm sorry, Riku. Jasmine's more than basic when it comes to these kinds of things."

He seemed a bit confused, so Tifa clarified everything for him.

"She has feelings for you," she told Riku, "believe me on this one. I haven't seen Jasmine so at peace in years."

"Really?" Riku asked, surprised but excited all at the same time.

Tifa put a hand on his shoulder. "Promise. You make her happy and that's all I've ever wanted for her. Of course now you'll have to go through Zack but I think you'll be fine." An idea came to Tifa. "How about you just hang around until she gets back? No sense in you driving all the way back to your house to come back. It's a waste of gas."

It actually put Riku at ease knowing that Tifa supported him. All that was left was for the remaining pieces to fall into place and wait for Jasmine's answer.

* * *

They finished dinner in silence, ending it with a strange yet delicious dessert Jasmine had never eaten before. Despite all that Vanitas told her, she still kept her guard up. In fact, she didn't touch the glass of white wine in front of her not once during dinner for fear he might have slipped something into it.

"What is this?" she asked innocently, pointing to the yellow cake.

Vanitas stood up and took their plates into his kitchen. "It's Italian Butter Rum Cake," he called. "I picked it up a couple of days ago. Your father told me that you liked sweet cakes so I picked up some."

Jasmine uttered a small thank you. It would seem as though her father were involved in whatever scheme was going on as well. Either way, the cake was absolutely delicious. However, there was one strange taste that she couldn't put her finger on. Maybe it was a part of the cake. After all there was alcohol in there.

"You haven't touched your wine," Vanitas noted as he came back from the kitchen.

Keeping her cool, Jasmine shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not that thirsty. Also don't you think that you'll get in trouble for serving a minor alcohol?"

Vanitas laughed and walked over to her chair, standing right behind her. "Don't act innocent. You drink whenever you get the chance. Besides, neither you nor I are going to tell." He reached forward and grabbed Jasmine's glass and took a sip, shocking Jasmine. He set the nearly empty glass down in front of her and placed his hands on the shoulder rest.

"Oh, and I'm not stupid enough to try and spike your drink so relax."

Despite his request, Jasmine tensed up. He _knew_ that she thought he put something in her drink.

"If I want someone to do something, namely a woman," his hands found their way to Jasmine's exposed shoulders, "then I want that person to do it because they want to or are caught in the moment."

Jasmine decided to cut to the chase. "Vanitas, what do you want? You and I both know that you've got something planned. Don't try to play with me. I know you better than that."

Vanitas stepped back and allowed Jasmine to stand up from her chair. However, she noticed that she swayed a bit on her feet and was considerably light-headed.

"I apologize. I wanted to make sure that you didn't try to fight with me tonight. We have so much to talk about."

Jasmine swallowed the string of obscenities she wanted to shoot at him.

"Maybe now I'll let you in on a secret," Vanitas said casually, catching Jasmine by her waist before she hit the ground. Jasmine was now able to stand but she felt so weak that she had to use Vanitas to steady herself. "Mr. Silva is acquiring a great amount of wealth and with that, he's getting power. All I have to do is keep myself in his good graces and I'll be set to take over when he stands down."

Jasmine gripped onto his shirt and racked her brain for ideas of what exactly it was he spiked in her meal.

"Then, I can have control over all that he is working towards. I already have money, that's not what I really need. But I want so much more than that."

Jasmine glared at him. "So then after that you're just going to dump me, my mother and my father off the side of a cliff once you get a hold of his position, right?"

Vanitas chuckled darkly and Jasmine's recurring nightmare flashed before her eyes. 'Is Vanitas the one I need to worry about?' She thought in fear.

"That's going to be my next point," Vanitas paused and stared at her face that was painted in a mixture of anger and fear. "I can make your mother a non factor and I can take down your father once I seal the deal, but I need someone who is on my level at my side."

"And who might that be?" She asked coyly.

"You're nothing like the others," Vanitas began slowly, eyes piercing hers. "The other women I see in today's times are weak-willed, dim-witted, and soft. You however, you're not like them at all."

Jasmine mustered all the strength she had and pushed herself away from him. "If you're willing to screw over my parents, what makes you think I should trust YOU of all people? You're out of your mind."

Vanitas began to advance on Jasmine and she backed up. "That's part of the reason I'm a bit infatuated with you. You're so rebellious."

She stopped when she realized that she had backed herself into a wall. Unfortunately for Jasmine, Vanitas had placed his hands at her sides and had her trapped. With how weak she felt at this point, there was no way she could push past him.

"You're such a liar," she seethed.

"Just hear me out," Vanitas said slowly. "You're an intelligent, strong…" he paused as his eyes roamed her body, "…attractive girl who won't find peace dealing with the students at that school of yours. They won't look after you. Me on the other hand, I'm probably never going to find a woman like you ever again in life and I admire you genuinely. We could make a really powerful team if you just say yes to me."

Jasmine scoffed. "So let me get this straight," she gave him a half-lidded glare, "you want _me_ to help you get what you want and sabotage my father? I don't like my parents so I don't have them in my life. I'm not going to be a part of some scheme to take them down. Once I graduate from high school, I'll never have to see them _or _you again."

"I'm trying to make this as easy and painless for you as possible."

Vanitas wrapped a hand around Jasmine's neck and she froze. It wasn't clamped around hard enough to hurt her, but Jasmine knew Vanitas' strength and understood that, if he wanted to, he could possibly snap her neck. But he wasn't that crazy. He couldn't be.

"If I hadn't made my point clear, let me spell it out: I _want you._"

Chills ran down Jasmine's spine. It was the same sickening feeling she got on Halloween when that guy attacked her but worse. No one was around and chances are, the apartment was soundproof. No one would come to save her this time if Vanitas decided to become violent. She was on her own.

He continued. "You and I both know that no one will be there for you once everything plays out. Your guardian, she has a life of her own to live and you'll have to leave sooner or later. Your parents will have you committed to a life of politics in whatever university _they _choose. And as I said earlier, those friends of yours won't be around for much longer."

Jasmine's heart skipped a beat. "You don't know them," she barked.

Vanitas rolled his eyes. "Don't you see it? You're the oddity of the group. You don't have the social status or wealth that all your so-called friends have. Sure everything might be alright now, but once you leave school and the novelty wears off, you'll be alone and not one of them is going to care whether you're alive or dead."

It was as if Vanitas took a glimpse into her heart and saw her deepest fear. She had always been alone. She was always the quiet outcast who tried to reach out to others as she was younger but failed miserably. Now that she had just a bit of happiness, all she could imagine was the pain if they all decided to leave her behind.

"They're going to go off to top universities that cost ludicrous amounts of money and you'll be a fleeting thought. Don't waste your time on people who will eventually leave you behind," Vanitas told her sternly.

"You don't know them," Jasmine said weakly.

"I know wealthy people. That's the lifestyle I was born into. I know what I'm talking about, Jasmine. Don't be an idiot."

"And you think that you can _save _me from all that?" Jasmine felt her anger rising but couldn't help but feel uneasy. What if he was right? What if they all eventually left her with time?

"I can do that," Vanitas then traced her jaw line with his thumb, "or I could make you miserable for the rest of your life. I know you probably hate me right now and I wouldn't expect anything different. I'm just giving you a chance to make the right decision and make things easier on yourself in the future. I know you. You won't want to go back to being that quiet girl who watches life pass her by."

Jasmine gave him an icy glare. "You sick, delusional bastard…I am not some play thing you can have so you might as well get that thought out of your mind now."

That instantly triggered something in Vanitas. He slammed her back against the wall and his hand began to tighten around her neck, causing her to gasp for breath.

"That's funny," Vanitas chuckled darkly, seeming to enjoy seeing the pain and contempt in her eyes. "I always end up getting what I want and that includes you. We can keep this up and you can keep fighting it but I guarantee you, this is not a fight that you'll win."

When Vanitas finally let go, Jasmine slid to the floor, gasping for breath. Not only was it hard for her to stand, but now she was light-headed and felt like she was going to faint at any moment.

Vanitas got on his knees and pulled her up roughly by her shoulders. "Keep my proposal in mind. I tolerate your attitude only because I find it attractive. But if you keep resisting, you won't get away with it much longer. By the way," he snickered, "I hope you enjoyed the cake."

'That's what it was! I should have known better,' Jasmine cursed herself mentally for finishing the whole thing knowing that it tasted off. She had allowed Vanitas to make her feel sympathy for him and so she let her guard down. It all made sense now. She _was _becoming weaker.

"I hope I didn't startle you too much. You'll enjoy being around me in due time."

Before Jasmine could say anything, Vanitas forcefully stole a kiss from her and held her in place. But she knew better than to fight him physically in this situation. Pride wounded beyond belief, she allowed him to continue and shut her eyes, begging for it to be over soon and end up back at her home with Tifa, buried under her covers waiting for the morning to arrive.

Vanitas pulled away and a smirk of satisfaction crept up on his face. He released her and stood tall, staring down at Mr. Silva's daughter. "Now that wasn't so terrible, was it? Think of how much more pleasurable it'll be when you stop denying me."

Jasmine balled her fists. "I hate you," she said venomously.

Vanitas seemed unfazed. "Hate is a form of passion. Those feelings of hate will fade in time."

"Go to hell," Jasmine barked.

"Again, that's a passionate emotion. Keep in mind, I'll be watching you, Faye."

He pulled her to her feet. "Let's get you home now." Vanitas led Jasmine to the door and reached for his car keys. "By the way, Happy Birthday." He closed the door behind him and shut off the lights.

* * *

Jasmine's hand shook as she opened the door to her house. She made sure that Vanitas drove off first before going inside. Luckily, no one was in the doorway so she could get to her room without any interruptions. But as soon as the clock would hit 10 o'clock, Aerith, Zack, Cloud and Yuffie would be there to cut the birthday cake and she had to find a way to calm her nerves before then.

Against Jasmine's best judgment, she fell asleep in Vanitas' car on the way home. Whatever he slipped into her food had kicked in and she knocked out. But there was no chance of him taking her anywhere. If he wanted to stay in her father's good graces he wasn't going to kidnap her. It just wouldn't be wise on his part.

Still, the kiss and everything that Vanitas said haunted her. There was no way her friends were as shallow as the other kids in school. There was no way they would just up and leave her because they had grown bored of being around someone of lesser social standing and status than them. It couldn't be? It wasn't supposed to be like that. But what if he was right? Jasmine had been let down before. What if none of them stuck around and she was left alone again?

Jasmine shook off the thought when she got to her bedroom. She opened the door and to her surprise, found Riku sitting on her bed, watching TV.

He snapped out of his trance as soon as he saw her. "Faye," he called out, standing up now. "I'm sorry if I startled you."

Jasmine froze, noticing that he had a relatively small box in his hands.

"Tifa told me to wait here until you came back. I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday personally since we didn't exactly talk earlier."

It was almost magical at how quickly all her fears and troubles faded away once she laid eyes on Riku. For some reason, it was as if nothing else mattered at this point in time other than him.

Riku was a bit shocked at the expression on Jasmine's face. It wasn't the same hard, studious one she usually had on at school. It wasn't the slightly sad expression she had at other times. This one was much different. There was a new light to her eyes and this stare was considerably softer and a slight smile was present.

"I hope you enjoyed your party. Kairi, Selphie and Naminé had been digging around for a month trying to figure out when it was," he continued on, finding it hard to focus with her staring at him with such a strange, yet admittedly wonderful expression. "You should have seen Sora and Tidus try to figure out what to get you. It was actually pretty funny seeing Roxas have to mediate their arguments," he laughed.

'They all do care,' Jasmine told herself. 'Vanitas was wrong. I have true friends.' She didn't even care that she was blushing when she stared at Riku. 'And I actually have someone who cares about me. He is so wrong about all of them.'

"By the way," Riku took his seat on her bed and she took one a couple of feet away from him. "This is for you." Without looking at her, he slid the box toward her, finding his face turning a light shade of pink. "I know it's probably a bit much and if you don't want it, I'll completely understand and get you something else."

Jasmine grabbed the box and opened it. Her eyes widened in shock at what had been presented to her. Riku gave Jasmine a gorgeous yet simple platinum ring with white diamonds around the band and a purple diamond in the shape of a butterfly. It was so incredibly beautiful and just from looking at it, Jasmine knew its cost was something she couldn't and wouldn't even attempt to fathom.

But now it was up to her to let herself further her happiness. She didn't care what Vanitas or anyone else said, she was going to find her peace. "I'm not the easiest person to be around," she told him slowly, looking at the ceiling with a blank expression on her face.

"What do you mean?" Riku asked quizzically.

"I mean, I keep to myself a lot, I don't always say what's on my mind," Jasmine exhaled and continued, "I have a crazy family that would rather see me in some all girls boarding school than happy with someone and I have people watching me now so being with a person will be impossible unless it's kept a secret. I tend to get a bit paranoid if I don't know what's going on and I hate admitting my feelings to others more than anything else."

Riku was beyond puzzled. "Faye, what are you talking about? Where is all this coming from?"

She laughed then and the purest smile she'd ever shown appeared on her face. "You know me, I'm always thinking about something." Jasmine picked up the box that held the ring and put it on her desk, slipping it on the ring finger of her left hand without Riku noticing. She inhaled deeply and walked over to Riku, standing right in front of him.

Jasmine placed a hand on his shoulder and bent down so they were at eye level. "By the way, I love you too."

Riku's eyes widened and he looked up to face her. Gently, Jasmine cradled his face in her hands and softly pressed her lips to his. Then just as quickly, she pulled away from him, face redder than ever.

"Now with all that said, do you still want to be with me?" She asked. "Like I said, we'd probably have to keep things a secret for a while just because of what's going on with my father now, but that doesn't change how I feel about you. Just wanted to let you know that."

All previous fears gone, Riku stood up grabbed Jasmine by the waist and lifted her up, holding tight onto her thighs to keep her from falling. She in turn grabbed hold of his collar and laughed.

"I kind of figured as much. With the way your parents are, I'm shocked you're still living here with Tifa. We'll just have to be sneaky about it."

Jasmine sighed. "It was hard enough trying to be friends, but I think we can handle this."

"Partners, friends, and now you're my girlfriend." Riku then smirked. "I told you at Christmas that you'd end up falling for me."

She pretended as if she forgot. "I don't remember that."

Riku narrowed his oceanic blue eyes. "Yes you do."

"No I don't."

Riku rolled his eyes and smiled ruefully. "Faye, can't you let me win just once? We both know that you don't forget anything."

Jasmine allowed him this one. "Fine Riku, you win this time."

"What am I again?" He baited playfully.

Jasmine pursed her lips and fought her blush, ultimately losing that battle as well. "Fine, _Boyfriend._ You win. Is that good enough for you?"

Riku smiled before pulling her into another kiss. "That's perfect."


	40. Chapter 40: Coming Out

**Author's Comments:** I'm glad everyone seemed to enjoy the last chapter! I'm sorry it took sooooo long to get them together, but with all the drama they went through, it was going to be a long time before they could actually become a couple. My bad everyone.

Also, I see that there's a bit of a divide. There are some serious Vanitas haters out there (quiet as it's kept he's my fave KH villain) and some just love him. I wonder if I should make him and Jasmine a couple in a new story...Hmm that would be interesting. Oh, and thanks you guys for reading the other stories I have out as well. Sorry it's taking so long to update. The school year is almost over and I have finals and a whole lot of other crap to take care of that is occupying my time right now :(

I want to thank you all for sticking there with me and my (regrettably slow) updates. I wanna thank my readers, those who fave, those who alert, and my reviewers

**animechick247:** I'm sorry you had a bad day at school but I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!

**ShatterTheHeavens: **I have officially done my job; I have made yet another person hate Vanitas' guts haha. You should check out my other story "The Other Side of Sanity". There's more Vanitas/Faye action there. **  
**

**Xion's Person: **I can almost feel the hatred of Vanitas from my computer haha**  
**

**xCarryOnDancingx**: Aww glad you love it :)

**KittyFox1:** Sorry about the long wait. Believe me, if it wasn't necessary for the end of the story, these two would have been together a LONG time ago!

**Sayonara Yasashii Akumu: **Really, those two being together should be a celebration. As for Vanitas...yeah he's definitely a bit out there if you know what I mean.

**ventus4ever: **Sorry I made you wait so long! Yay! Someone who finds Vanitas adorable like me!

**Kanika Meskhenet: **I've been trying so hard to come up with a good Vanitas/Riku interaction for a while now. I hope it lives up to your (and everyone else's) expectations.

**Frooky90: **I'm honored that you felt so good about the last chapter. Btw I did listen to that song my Three Days Grace (and they're becoming one of my favorite bands) and the song went PERFECTLY! Thanks for that!

**Lazyxafternoons: **Riku is a good guy. A bit arrogant, but he's a decent guy. Sorry about making you hate Vanitas though...

**The Sin Is Red: **Yeah the Riku/Faye/Vanitas thing is a bit crazy. You want him? You'll have to fight me for him! Haha jk jk But yes, he is pretty hot for a video game character. He's like...a hotter version of Sora in a dark, twisted kind of way.

**Khaotic Kal: **This was a hard chapter for me to write. If I remember correctly, it pushed over 10,000 words. Btw sorry about that. I just didn't want there to be anything left out because this was such an important chapter. But I'm happy you really liked it :)

And to **Kanika Meskhenet: **I haven't forgotten about the Riku/Silver story. Here's what happened with that: I started to become bored with the plot (my bad, please don't kill me) and started wanting to do a more "adult" fanfiction with older characters. Jasmine is actually a bit of an extension of Silver (you'll see why in the following chapters) and so that story is on a serious hiatus. If I find some inspiration I WILL finish that story before the end of this year. Promise!

Anyway (that was a long author's note) here's the next chapter! I hope you all like it. Tell me what you think and I'll ttyl! Take care!

-Skye

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. I only own the OCs that pop up. Promise.

* * *

As Jasmine watched the end of the first blitzball game of the season with Naminé, Roxas and Kairi, she couldn't help but feel as if she were in some sort of dream that was too good to be true.

She placed her hand over her chest and felt the ring Riku had given her the previous night through her t-shirt. She decided to have it hang on a chain like a pendant to avoid any type of questioning from her family and friends. Riku was ready to be out as a couple. Jasmine however thought it would be best if they waited.

When the home team scored the winning point, the arena burst into cheers. Jasmine stood on her feet and clapped for her friends, eyes fixated on Riku as he came out of the water.

'I can't believe we're together,' Jasmine thought while blushing.

Roxas was the one who broke her out of her trance by tapping her on the shoulder. "Did you enjoy the game?"

"What—oh, yes I did!" She stumbled over her own words, something she rarely did except for when caught off guard.

Roxas followed Kairi and Naminé as they headed toward the field to congratulate their friends on a well played game. "See?" He looked back at Jasmine. "Told you blitzball would be fun."

Kairi then piped up. "Why didn't you join the team? You definitely play well."

Roxas' twin spoke for him. "He claims he's more into winter sports. I think he doesn't want to go through the training."

Kairi and Naminé laughed while Roxas' face flushed in embarrassment.

Roxas replied with, "Let's just say that I have a lot of stuff to do this semester and blitzball would have killed my GPA for sure."

Jasmine consoled Roxas as they stepped onto the lawn of the school, searching for their friends who were somewhere in the chaos. "It doesn't matter, Roxas. They've got their thing, you've got yours."

Sora ran forward and into Jasmine's arms, wetting her indefinitely. "Did you see us out there? I think that was one of our best games yet!"

She laughed, not caring that she was now wet from Sora's sopping uniform. "Well it's my first game, and your first game of the season, but you all did well." Jasmine returned the hug and spotted Riku and Tidus talking to a group of girls who were congratulating them on how well they played.

Under normal circumstances, Jasmine would frown at this or feel just a twinge of jealousy when seeing Riku with a group of girls. After all, he was a major flirt on campus. But when he stopped chatting with them and looked her way, she knew she had nothing to worry about. There was just something electrifying about the way he smiled at her that sent her heart into a frenzy. In the past that would have been an annoyance. Now, Jasmine couldn't get enough of the feeling.

After Tidus came over and gave her a hug, Riku walked over to her with a slight smile on his face now.

"Congratulations," she told Riku, giving him a smile of her own.

Riku loved it when she smiled. More specifically, he loved it when she smiled for him. For so long she held nothing but contempt in her eyes for Riku. But now that he'd taken the first step and put his feelings out in the open, she had so many more smiles to go around and he'd make sure that she kept smiling because she was his.

Jasmine stepped toward Riku and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I see that you do have a reason to be a bit arrogant. You're not bad."

"Did hell just freeze over?" Tidus gawked at the scene before him with Riku and Jasmine. "You two are getting _along_?"

Becoming a bit stiff but hiding it well, Jasmine removed her hand and crossed her arms over her chest.

"We called a bit of a truce," Jasmine told Tidus. "I'm tired of fighting and I just want to enjoy the rest of the school year."

"Really," Riku wiped his wet hair from his eyes. "It's getting kind of old. But we'll probably end up fighting sooner or later over something that she did."

Jasmine sighed and dropped head down low. "Aren't you supposed to be nice to me?"

Riku put a hand on her shoulder before turning to Selphie. "Take it one step at a time."

Sora glanced at Riku, who gave the brown-haired boy a mild grin. Once Riku was done talking to Selphie, Sora pulled him aside.

"What's going on? It seems as though you're hiding something," Sora whispered to Riku.

The silver-haired teen then whispered, "Well she is my girlfriend. We're going to have a few insiders."

Sora stepped back and stared at Riku, then Jasmine, then back to Riku. "Are you serious?"

Riku nodded. "But keep it to yourself. We've still got a lot to work out."

"No problem," Sora broke out into another goofy grin. "About time though. About time."

* * *

"You're definitely in a good mood," Jasmine noted as Riku swept her into his arms as they met up in an empty classroom right after the game. She ran her fingers through his still-damp silver hair and rested her hand against his cheek.

"We just won our first game against our rival school," Riku reminded her. "And," he lowered his voice, "I get to be with my girlfriend right after. Plus your new music video premieres tonight and everyone gets to see how amazing you are." A thought then came to mind. "By the way, my father says he likes how the demo for the song is coming out. He said he loves your voice and how it just seems to fit. You're definitely going places."

Jasmine wasn't used to being spoiled with complements. At least not in the way that Riku was doing it. But at the mention of her music video, Jasmine's smile faded away and she stared at the tile floor beneath her.

Riku noticed this change in attitude. "What's wrong? You aren't excited, Faye?"

"I'm so nervous," she admitted. "What's everyone going to think when they see it? Will everything think my voice sucks? Will they think I'm hideous on camera? What if everyone thinks I'm too young to be-?"

Riku silenced Jasmine by giving her a slight pinch on her right bicep.

"Ouch!" She jumped back and rubbed her arm. Jasmine stared at him incredulously. "Why did you do that?"

"Because," the silver-haired blitzball player explained, "you need to stop worrying so much about what people think about you."

Jasmine looked at her bicep. Even though the pinch really didn't hurt, just thinking of any type of physical harm reminded Jasmine of the previous night where Vanitas almost choked her.

"Faye?"

She came back to reality to find Riku calling her name.

"What?"

"I called you like three times." Riku noticed that for a split second, Jasmine had a strange look on her face. Almost one as if she'd remembered something unpleasant. That worried Riku. He didn't want anything to upset her and ruin their time together. He stepped up to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you okay?"

Jasmine didn't want to let Riku know about Vanitas just yet. After all, there was still so much at stake right now. Knowing Riku, the second she mentioned the day Vanitas came to her house and grabbed her by her hair, Riku would most definitely find Vanitas and approach him. Not only would that let Jasmine's father know that she was involved with a boy from school, but he'd probably break them up and send her to an all girls school. As for Vanitas—well there was no telling what Vanitas would do. Jasmine wasn't interested in finding out either.

To keep Riku from worrying, Jasmine told him that she was just a little nervous—which she was—about the video and everything that was going on. She sat on a desk and he came over to her, taking her hands and linking their fingers together.

"Don't think too much about me," Jasmine put all other thoughts behind her to keep her concerns from showing, "I've been able to take care of myself for years and I turned out alright."

"I know that," Riku laughed, planting a soft kiss on her cheek. "You're the toughest girl I know. But…" He took advantage of their time alone and kissed her forehead, moving downward to the tip of her nose and stopped when he was at her nose, "you should let _me_ take care of you at least once in a while. That's what I'm here for."

Jasmine felt nervous then. It had only been a day since they had started a relationship and having Riku this close in an openly intimate way had her flustered.

"Riku," she said weakly, trying to keep her breathing even as Riku kissed her along her jaw-line, "we shouldn't be doing this. What if we get caught?"

"So?" Riku scoffed. "We're already sneaking around. Why not have a bit of fun?"

Jasmine cleared her throat, struggling to keep her heartbeat under control. "And if someone walks in?" She gasped when Riku's lips grazed the base of her neck.

"No one comes in here ever," Riku reassured her, laughing at her obvious state of embarrassment. "We're safe. You're safe." With that, Riku stood up straight, took her face in his gloved hands and smiled. "Just put a little faith in me, will you?"

Once again, Jasmine found herself captured by Riku's gorgeous, hypnotic blue eyes. There was just something about them that seemed to calm her nerves and give her peace. Perhaps that was one of the reasons that Jasmine had fallen for Riku in the first place.

Only when Jasmine nodded her head, did Riku feel satisfied. All he wanted was to make this relationship work and for the two of them to be together.

And so to seal the deal Riku stole countless, breathtaking kisses from Jasmine, forgetting about everything around him and focusing his attention on the one person that mattered most.

* * *

Tifa spotted Jasmine's parents and Vanitas sitting at a booth in her restaurant and joined them. As the restaurant owner, she allotted herself a good amount of time for breaks and she figured with the arrival of Jasmine's family now would be a great time to take a breather.

"I had no idea that you all would have been coming," Tifa said politely as she stood over the table and greeted everyone. "If I knew, I would have blocked out some time and gave you guys a booth in the back for more privacy."

It was Sofia who spoke first. "You look well, Tifa. It seems as though your restaurant is doing well. I saw your picture in the paper the other day under restaurant reviews. Congratulations on getting that five-star rating."

"Thank you, Sofia," Tifa replied with a smile.

Mr. Silva then said, "How about you take a seat? We'd like to speak with you."

Tifa couldn't help but feel as though he were speaking to her as if she were a child but ignored the comment. She slid into the booth next to Sofia and rested her hands on the table. "What would you all like to talk about?"

Sofia and her husband looked at each other.

"We've gotten a progress report on Jasmine's grades," Sofia had a pleasant expression on her face which calmed Tifa considerably, "and she's performing quite well. It would seem as though living with you and staying at that school is doing her some good."

It was Tifa's turn to speak. "Jasmine is an absolute pleasure. I've had nothing but good times with her."

"Which is why," Sofia began slowly, "we would like to ask if you could keep Jasmine for her senior year of high school."

Tifa smiled. She and Jasmine had this conversation not too long ago and she'd love to have Jasmine stay with her for as long as the latter wanted. Without Jasmine, the house would be empty and devoid of all laughter and joy that came with her residence there. Tifa wasn't quite sure she wanted that for herself anymore.

"It'd be a pleasure," Tifa replied.

"But there's something else." Mr. Silva added.

Tifa could already feel that a bomb was about to be dropped on her.

"We'd like for Jasmine to spend as much of her free time as possible, as long as it doesn't interfere with her studies, with Vanitas," he placed his hand on Vanitas' shoulders and the college student smiled.

Tifa glanced at all the faces at the booth and stopped on Vanitas'. For the briefest moment, she caught a wicked smirk on his face and she knew then that something was terribly wrong. But she was not going to let them know how she felt.

"With Vanitas?" Tifa reiterated.

"I enjoy spending time with her," Vanitas said, resuming his role as a soft-spoken gentleman. "She's a great person to be around."

Sofia laughed. "He's just being bashful." She leaned over to Tifa and whispered, "He's crazy for her. Can you imagine it? Those two becoming a couple? What a wonderful picture!"

Tifa wanted to stop this before it went any further. Jasmine was already in a relationship with Riku and she was genuinely happy. With the way the young girl reacted whenever Vanitas' name was brought up, Tifa was sure that Jasmine had no desire to be with him.

"Did you guys ask how Jasmine feels about him?" Tifa whispered to Sofia. "What if she only sees him as a friend at best?"

Sofia seemed aghast at the questions. "Then the girl would be insane," she hissed. "Vanitas is intelligent, determined, handsome and good company. There's no way she'd give up someone like that. I know my daughter. She's not that foolish."

"But how do you know if they even mesh?" Tifa defended her young charge.

Sofia smiled. "Well that's why we want them to spend as much time together as possible."

'So she's playing matchmaker,' Tifa thought, clearly amused. "That makes sense."

Vanitas' hands were folded and rested on the end of the table. He finally spoke up, this time more boldly.

"I will not lie," Vanitas said clearly, "I am interested in Jasmine—although I'm positive I'm not on her level yet. I just want to get to know her a little more. That's all. I don't have any other intentions." He then looked to Tifa as if to ask for permission. "I promise."

Had it of been another time in another place where Tifa was unaware of Jasmine's feelings towards Vanitas, Tifa would have been more inclined to believe the boy. Pushing the Silvas aside, there was still something about Vanitas that gave Tifa chills and there would be no way, unless he really was a good person at heart and she was just imagining things, that she'd let someone like him anywhere near her goddaughter.

Ever the polite hostess, Tifa suppressed her emotions. "Well next time, we should have Jasmine join us then. I'm sure she'd love to be included in the conversation and express her feelings."

It appeared as though everyone at the table seemed to miss the underlying tone in her voice. However, Vanitas quickly glanced at Tifa, closed his eyes, and smirked as he downed his Long Island Iced Tea.

'Like you'll be able to stop me either,' he thought darkly, smiling brightly at Tifa after he put his drink down.

* * *

Selphie slapped down a magazine in front of Jasmine as the group sat at a teen lounge later on in the evening.

"Looks like someone caught you and Demyx together on Valentine's Day," she said ruefully.

Jasmine picked up the magazine and frowned. True enough, on the cover was a picture of Jasmine and Demyx walking out of the restaurant that Valentine's Day. They weren't holding hands and they kept their distance from one another, but on the cover were questions and speculations regarding their status and if they were secretly dating and who the "Mystery Girl" was.

'This is what I'm going to have to look forward to if I stay in the music business,' Jasmine thought grimly as she set tossed the magazine aside.

Kairi set down her soda and looked at the picture with Naminé. "Well it's a good picture," the redhead offered.

Roxas, who as usual took a seat on Jasmine's right, offered to cheer her up. "At least they don't have your name or anything. And you're wearing sunglasses. Unless people know you personally, they won't know unless you released that information with the video. "

Jasmine nodded and looked at the huge flat screen hanging above the booth and couches they all sat at. It was almost five o'clock. The video would be on in less than two minutes.

"You're right," she said distantly, jumping when her phone vibrated.

'Of course,' she thought, feeling as if there was a weight on her shoulders. 'It _would_ be Vanitas to call me.' Jasmine rose from her seat and stepped over Sora.

"Where are you going? We have to make another toast to the birthday girl!"

Jasmine was still startled by how much Sora and Vanitas resembled one another. And yet, they were polar opposites. 'Thankfully.' She headed for a more isolated area with better cell service. "I'll be back in a minute! Promise!"

Selphie looked at the spot where Jasmine was sitting. "I swear, that girl is always running off." She then squealed loudly when she saw her favorite singer on the television screen. "Demyx's new video is coming on right now!"

Kairi smiled knowingly. "I'm sure it'll be his best video."

But when the announcement came on the flat screen, Selphie appeared confused. "Faye Silva? Who is that?"

"Must be some newcomer," Tidus said dismissively. "Never heard of her."

Riku shifted back in his seat. Truth was, he was excited as well. After his mother punished him for withholding the contract, she also kept him from seeing even a tiny teaser of the video and song. Needless to say, Riku was almost as on edge as Jasmine was to an extent.

Selphie silenced the group and stared at the screen.

There was a shot of an empty bedroom that lay in shambles with emphasis on a fan overhead. Then the video cut to a black and white shot of a jazz club with a grand piano in the middle of it all and the one playing it was an unknown woman with long, heavily designed black and silver fingernails. Before the body was shown, the camera went to Demyx who was talking with a fellow associate.

The associate said, "She's brilliant."

Demyx seemed to smile at the complement. For a good ten seconds, the piano player then transitioned to darker, more pop sounding tune that continued on flawlessly. "I know," Demyx replied, smirking at the woman.

Soon, the woman became more visible. It was clear that she was wearing a long, black maxi dress and her dark hair fell over her shoulders, almost brushing against the keys because of its length.

Before the woman could be seen from the shoulders up the shot cuts again to the torn apart bedroom while the piano kept going. A woman (presumably the one at the piano) sat crouched on a bed in a pair of black fitted, high waisted jeans, a black tank and combat boots with her hair pinned in a high bun, looking through a group of photographs. Her bangs covered her face and she balled up one of the photos, her face hidden from view.

As soon as the piano player hit the last note, the crowd around Demyx erupted with applause and the girl's face is shown. Jasmine stares at Demyx with contempt and he acknowledges this.

"I know," he replies to the associate.

Keeping with the same sound as the piano, but with synthesized instruments, the actual song began.

Demyx, now standing in a dark blue suit in a completely white room laughs. "Now," he said in rhythm to the song, "I want to introduce you to…"

A shot of Jasmine wearing high waisted gray shorts, a white tank and a black blazer with shredded stockings and towering silver platforms and her long hair in wavy curls appeared on screen. She had on dark make up around her eyes, dangling cross earrings and her long hair in wavy curls and smirked.

Sora and Roxas spit out their soda. "Is that Jasmine?" Roxas shouted.

Demyx was once again the focus in his all white background. "...the lovely Faye Silva."

Jasmine was then shown again on the bed and looks at a picture of her and Demyx together at a party. Then the screen goes back to Jasmine who is in a dark room with shadows cast over her face while wearing dark sunglasses.

"She's gonna help me out and tell you a thing or two about Heartbreakers," Demyx continued on, dancing to the music.

Once again the shot was of Jasmine in the room with steel walls. She leaned back against the wall. "Are you ready for me?" She said in a tone reminiscent of her singing voice.

As the video moved on to the first verse, the shot then went to a grand ballroom with everyone dressed in tuxedos and gowns. Demyx sings from the second floor, looking at the scene before him, singing of the good times and yet how the bad seems to always follow along with them.

The next shot is of Demyx, in jeans and a loose t-shirt going through a room that looks like it belongs to a girl. He heads over to a desk and sees pictures of Jasmine meeting a suspicious looking man in a park and handing him something.

Back to the ballroom, Demyx spots Jasmine waltzing with a man he saw in one of the photos. He continues to sing, commenting on how dangerous and beautiful she is. Here, Jasmine is wearing a gold, strapless gown with her hair in an elegant bun, seemingly unaware that she is being watched from another level.

Selphie screamed when she saw this. "Are you serious? _Jasmine's_ a singer?"

No one answered. They simply continued to watch in awe and amazement.

As the video progressed to the chorus, it switched to the white room Demyx was in previously with Jasmine and four backup dancers behind her, performing for Demyx. Once again, Jasmine nailed the difficult routine, clearly standing out from the other dancers (despite the fact that the backup dancers wore black while she wore red). All the while, Jasmine had a confident smirk on her face, almost mocking Demyx in response to the lyrics he sang.

Soon the screen switched back to Jasmine in the bedroom and she leaves, leaning against the door with a pained expression on her face while holding onto a long chain with a key pendant at the end of it. In her hands is a locked briefcase of sorts.

Now Jasmine is dancing in a room full of mirrors and singing about how there are so many lies and yet she can't stop loving a special someone, comparing it to torture, wearing the same outfit she had on when she was in the room with steel walls only with the combat boots. All throughout the verse, there are shots of Demyx at a nightclub with other women, flirting with them and exchanging (what appears to be) large sums of money. Unbeknownst to Demyx at the club, Jasmine is right there, watching everything from around a corner.

"Whoa," Roxas gasped. "I had no idea Jasmine could sing."

Naminé had to agree, finding it impossible to tear her eyes away from the television. "She sings so well too. Her voice is so mature…"

When it came time for the chorus, it was Jasmine standing in the all-white room, watching Demyx and his male back up dancers perform for her. She continued to sing, eying Demyx carefully, clearly entertained by him.

There was a break with Jasmine (back in her more casual attire with her hair silky straight walking down a long hallway with glass separating it. At that moment, Demyx appeared (in his jeans and t-shirt from before) from where Jasmine came from and their eyes locked. Then as the music slowed, there was a flashback of Jasmine and Demyx, walking hand in hand on the sidewalk under street lights, enjoying each others company. He swept Jasmine up in his arms. Then just as suddenly, the music picked up again (without vocals) and the scene went back to Jasmine and Demyx in the hall.

Tauntingly, she held up the briefcase and grinned, seemingly telling him to come for it. Demyx chased Jasmine through the glass hallways with her ducking and dodging him under tables and jumping over things in the progress. Demyx reached forward and swiped at Jasmine with her _barely _escaping him. Soon they were in a room with a glass wall in the center and a door and Jasmine slips through, locking it behind her just before the chorus starts up again, this time with the both of them singing it together but on opposite sides of the glass.

With them both now singing the chorus they danced against the wall, reacting to what the other did in perfect synchronization.

Selphie's jaw dropped. "That's so hot," she commented in regards to them dancing with each other through the glass.

"So THIS is where she always disappears to," Sora shook his head and smiled. "No wonder she's always so tired. She's off making music videos and becoming a pop star."

As the song came to a close, Demyx chased Jasmine down the stairs where she gained the upper hand by jumping from a low-hanging balcony and onto the first floor. Before she stepped back, Demyx triumphantly held up the necklace Jasmine was wearing earlier. Jasmine seemed startled by this at first but held up the briefcase, mouthing "Come" before taking off into the crowd.

The second to last scene was them in the white room (both wearing the outfits they wore when they danced) standing back to back and finishing off the song. Back to Demyx holding the pendant, he stared at it, smiling as if he knew he'd see her again. Jasmine then drove off in a car after running out of the building, looking at a picture of them on the dashboard, then to the briefcase, then back to the road as she drove off into the night with the music dying down. She smirked once more and brushed her hair out of her face.

The final shot was of the both of them back in the white room walking in opposite directions past each other, a shot on each of their faces (Demyx smirking first with Jasmine doing the same after him) and the screen going black after they had at least five feet of space between them.

Once the video was over, all the patrons of the lounge who had been watching the video clapped and cheered, buzzing about whoever "Faye Silva" was and how both she and Demyx performed so well together.

"She's such a good dancer!" One girl proclaimed.

"Demyx never goes wrong!" Another girl screamed.

A couple of boys in the back were just as pleased.

"Dude, that girl is so hot," the first said.

"Isn't that the one from his other video?" The second asked. "I thought she looked familiar."

"And she can sing too? I have to meet her!"

Jasmine's timing never failed. Irritated beyond belief, she walked back to the group and pocketed her cell phone. "Sorry about that," she said apologetically. "Let's just say that I had to take care of something."

When she looked up however, everyone in the group had jumped to their feet and charged her, nearly knocking her off her feet. After Jasmine caught her breath, she looked up at the television screen and realized that the video had just gone off. "I guess you all saw it…"

"It was amazing!" Selphie cried. "I never knew you could sing like that!"

"I just didn't tell people," Jasmine croaked out. "I could've sworn I told you that already!"

With all the chaos around them, Riku stayed behind on the sofa, going over the video again and again in his mind. Jasmine looked incredible. Her dancing was perfect. Her voice was gorgeous. It was flawless. Riku smiled.

'It about time she gets what she deserves,' he thought. 'She out of all people deserves it.'


	41. Chapter 41: Before the Fall

**Author's Note: **Gah! We're coming super close to the climax! That's the next chapter by the way. I don't know about you guys, but I'm SUPER excited to write it! I've seriously been waiting for this since I started the story. Let's get this ball rolling! I wanna thank all those who read, alert, and fave. I also wanna thank my reviewers **animechick247, Xion's Person, Lazyxafternoons, ventus4ever, ShatterTheHeavens, Kingdom University, xCarryOnDancingx, The Sin Is Red, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, KittyFox1 and Khaotic Kal.** You guys are all awesome, ever single one of you who takes the time out of your day to look at my work. Thank you so much! I can't wait till the next chapter when everything goes crazy! Ah I'm so ready!

I hope you enjoy the chapter. Tell me what you think and take care!

-Skye

PS: Check out my new story "Free Fall". In addition, the other story chapters will be updated before the end of the week. Enjoy :)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. I only own the OCs

* * *

_The scent of blood was thick in the air._

_What was even more sickening is that it was her blood staining the side of the road as well as her clothes. _

_Jasmine held onto her side which was bleeding profusely, finding it hard to keep her balance on her unsteady feet. Still she continued to walk along the freeway, hoping and praying that someone would save her. Yet Jasmine found it highly unlikely. _

_Her wounds from the car accident were much too great and she was losing blood much too quickly. Any moment now, she expected to fall to the floor and succumb to the utmost, permanent darkness that surely awaited her. _

_Jasmine tripped and fell to the ground, landing on the side that gave her the majority of her pain. She noticed that she was now facing the ocean. _

_For just a moment, the salt water scent overpowered her blood and Jasmine found temporary peace. She always loved the scent of the ocean. It reminded her of him. _

_Jasmine noticed that a pool of blood was gathering under her. She held her arms out and smiled ruefully, tears mixing with crimson as both liquids streamed down her face. Despite the loneliness she felt her entire life, Jasmine never really thought about putting herself out of her misery. Now death was at her door and there was nothing she could do about it. _

_She would miss Tifa, Yuffie, Zack, Aerith and Cloud for sure. They were her family. Much more so than the people she was related to by blood who caused all of this._

_But then again, maybe if she had been obedient from the very beginning, perhaps things would have been different. _

_Then there was Sora, he always had the brightest smile and the purest spirit; Kairi was one of the sweetest people she'd ever met; Naminé was the most gentle person she'd ever come across and doubted there would never be another like her; Tidus always knew how to make her smile; Roxas was her first REAL boyfriend—perhaps she should have given him another chance back then…_

_HIS face came to mind and Jasmine's tears began to flow more steadily now. She didn't sob, nor whimper. She simply cried. As much pain as he caused her, Jasmine was still madly in love with him. No one would or could ever take Riku's place. But then again, there would never be a chance for someone else to come into her life given that it was coming to an end. _

_Jasmine felt her eye lids becoming heavy. She'd always been alone for her entire life. Now it shouldn't be anything worth thinking about. From early childhood onward to this point, she was always by herself. It didn't matter though. No one ever cared. Why should she?_

_But Jasmine had just gotten a taste of what life was supposed to be like. Why was it that she had to be teased with what she could never have and have that fleeting happiness torn away from her?_

_She soon felt a calm wash over her and her eyelids closed. _

_The smell of the ocean was so nice. _

_Jasmine hoped that Riku would find happiness somewhere with someone special. No matter how much they fussed, she still loved him. _

_She just wished that she didn't have to die alone. _

* * *

Jasmine jumped up from the bed, only to have Riku grab her immediately as she was upright. Her breathing was ragged and sweat dripped down her face. Jasmine thought that she was still in the dream but was instantly relieved to see Riku beside her in his bed.

"What's going on?" He asked, sounding deeply concerned. "You started tossing and turning in your sleep." Riku took hold of her shoulders which were shaking. "Did you have a nightmare?"

For some reason, Jasmine couldn't shake the dream. This was the third time in three weeks since her video with Demyx premiered that she'd had this nightmare of her dying. Everything was so realistic and in a way, it felt closer to reality than all the other dreams she ever had.

Jasmine leaned forward and sighed. "I'll be fine," She placed a hand over one of Riku's. "I've just been under a lot of stress lately."

Riku tried to console Jasmine by resting against his headboard and pulling her to his chest. "You're awake now. It's going to be okay."

The ebony haired singer looked at her wristwatch. It was nearly five o'clock in the evening. She wished that it was Friday so that way she could spend more time with her boyfriend, but it was Tuesday and she had a lot of work to do.

Ever since the video premiered it was interviews, photo shoots and time in the studio perfecting her debut single. Thanks to Angela, Jasmine was still able to keep a relatively low profile with the media. However, at school it was a completely different story.

Students who never bothered to give her a passing glance were now offering her invitations to parties on private islands, on yachts, concerts, and even asking her to sing for them. While Jasmine was initially flattered by all the (for the most part unwanted) attention, she kept in mind that earlier in the year, none of them could have cared less whether or not she showed up at school. Now they were trying to throw her into high society life?

Jasmine snorted at the idea. If they weren't her friends back then, they weren't her friends now.

"I'm fine, Riku," she told him, burying her face into his broad, strong chest. "It's just a nightmare. I'm okay now."

Riku brushed her bangs out of her face and kissed her forehead. "Good. Now," he threw the covers off them and smiled. "Do you want to go out to dinner? My parents are gone and Tifa told me that she would be back late."

Jasmine hesitated. It had been almost a month since they began their secret relationship. As far as Jasmine knew, the only ones who happened to know were Sora and Kairi. But then again, they were Riku's closest friends and they wouldn't tell a soul. As for everyone else in the group, they were kept in the dark. Jasmine still hadn't found it in her to tell Roxas. Surely there had to be some guy code rule about dating an ex or something.

"I'll take you anywhere you want to," Riku tempted her.

In addition to the fear of her friends finding out, Jasmine was concerned about the paparazzi scouting her when she was out in public. She did NOT want a picture in the tabloids about her and Riku. Not only would the school find out, as well as her friends, but there was a good chance that her parents might hear back.

Oddly enough, they hadn't spoken in over a month. Perhaps they didn't hear about the video. After all, there were other Fayes out in the world. And Silva was a fairly common last name as well. But still, things were quiet on that end. Even Vanitas made himself scarce over the past month. That on its own was enough to cause Jasmine to worry.

She placed her elbow on her knee and rested her chin in the palm of her hand. 'What's he up to?'

"Faye!"

Jasmine jumped a bit. She saw Riku at the other end of his room, sliding a t-shirt over his undershirt. Even though they had been together for almost a month, she still couldn't get over how beautiful he and his body were. At least now she didn't feel as guilty for her inconvenient blushing.

"Come on," Riku laughed, reaching for his wallet on his desk. "There's this new seafood restaurant my mom took me too a while ago and I think you might like it."

She hesitated. "Are you sure we should be going out? You know, in a heavily crowded place?"

Riku frowned but did not let her see this. While Riku was ecstatic to finally be in a relationship with Jasmine, he did not enjoy having to sneak around all the time. Being the son of a famous director and top selling artist taught him to deal with the media (although in his later years his parents shielded him from a great deal of it). As for school, Riku couldn't help but feel jealous when other couples walked down the halls hand in hand and he couldn't even walk her to class for fear of students talking about them.

All they did for the most part was go out with a group of friends (happen to sit next to each other by "chance"), go to her house, go to his house and meet in secret at the school in empty classrooms. While the initial sneaking around was fun, Riku was getting a bit impatient.

He just wanted to be with her out in the open. There was nothing wrong with that.

Part of him understood her fears. Her parents would probably tear into her, the media might hound her about this "mysterious boy" she was with. Riku understood that. But he still couldn't help feeling frustrated at the situation.

"Faye," Riku set his car keys down and took a seat in his desk chair. "It'll be fine. It's not like everyone has a tracking device on you to see where you are."

Jasmine could tell that something else was bothering him. She truly felt guilty for making Riku sneak around with her all the time. She wanted to be out in the open and hold hands with him, and go out on dates and show her affection to the boy who had given her so much. But the fear of being caught by her parents scared her senseless.

"I know you're mad," Jasmine kicked off the covers and twirled the drawstring of the basketball shorts Riku let her borrow while they lounged about in bed.

"I'm not mad," Riku argued.

Jasmine approached him but stopped when they were a few feet away from each other.

"It's not fair," Jasmine started. "At this point, I don't feel good about sneaking around either."

"I'm just shocked your parents haven't caught on yet," Riku said absently.

Jasmine bit her bottom lip. "Yeah I know. And that's what makes me nervous. Things have been…too calm with them. Something's coming, I know it."

"Faye," Riku's tone was serious, "at this point, I don't care about who from our school finds out we're dating. It doesn't matter to me." He stood up. "Hell I wouldn't mind shoving it in their faces. I'll even walk up to Roxas and tell him what's up. But it's not going to work out if you don't want the same thing."

"But I do," Jasmine protested. "You just don't know what my father is like. The second he finds out I'm with someone and I'll be shipped off the island to an all girl's boarding school. Then he'll make me give up the contract. You've got to try and understand."

Riku sighed heavily. Even though he wanted to be public with his relationship, the idea of Jasmine being shipped off did not sound too pleasant.

Jasmine sneaked her way behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle, burying her face into his back. "We can go get dinner," she mumbled against his shirt. "Anywhere _you_ want to go."

Riku looked over his shoulder. "Are you sure about this?"

Jasmine nodded her head. "You're right. I know you really don't like the way we have to hide everything and it's not fair to you. You don't deserve this."

"Faye, we can just keep it low key, okay?"

Jasmine let him go and moved in front of him, smiling to show him that she was fine with going out. "Riku, let's go out. Honestly, I'm tired of being cooped up all the time. Let's go. Besides, I make you go through enough. Tonight I'm game for whatever you wanna do."

Riku still wasn't used to winning with Jasmine. "Whatever I want?" he asked again.

"From now until you take me home." Jasmine knew she had a great deal of work waiting for her when she got home, but she wanted to make Riku happy. After all, she'd made him jump through hoops with this relationship.

Riku loved getting what he wanted. He sat on his bed and motioned for Jasmine to come over to him. When Jasmine was within arm's length, he pulled her into his lap and rested a hand on her knee. "Remember back when you hated my guts?"

She laughed. Jasmine couldn't believe how much had changed. She went from the quiet loner who wanted to keep to herself, to a record selling artist who managed to end up with one of the most popular, attractive guys in the school—who she used to hate for a good three months or so.

"Vividly," she answered. "I used to hate men too."

Riku chuckled. "I guess I'm lucky then."

"Trust me," Jasmine laughed, "you have _no_ idea how lucky you are."

* * *

Tifa perked up when Jasmine walked in through the door after dinner with Riku. She ran through the kitchen and stopped Jasmine in the hallway.

"Whoa!" Jasmine stumbled back as Tifa approached her rapidly. "I was only with a friend Tifa! You don't have to knock me over," she laughed.

However, Tifa's face was solemn. "Vanitas is here."

Instantly, Jasmine tensed up. She couldn't even bring it upon herself to tell her guardian of the mistreatment he'd inflicted upon her.

"That's fine. But what does he want?"

Tifa pulled Jasmine into the living room and kept her voice low. It was quite obvious that she didn't want for Vanitas to chance upon the conversation and overhear them.

"Remember how I told you that your parents wanted you to spend time with Vanitas?" It was quite clear from Tifa's unusual frown that she was unhappy.

"Yes? But no one has contacted me since my birthday."

"I know," Tifa crossed her arms over her chest. "It's so sudden and out of the blue."

Jasmine's eyes found the stairs and she tucked the ring Riku gave her down her shirt. "I'll handle this quickly." With that she kicked off her shoes and hurried up the stairs, searching for him down the halls only to discover that her bedroom door was open. She inhaled deeply and narrowed her eyes, bursting through her own door to find Vanitas standing near her bookcase skimming through one of her casual reading books.

Before she said anything, she shut the door tightly behind her and leaned against it.

"What are you doing in my room?" she hissed.

Vanitas smiled when she came in and slid the book back into place. "I find that it is a lot easier to understand someone when you get to see where they live."

Jasmine closed her eyes. "I'm going to ask you politely to leave."

"Why are you being so cordial? We've know each other for a while. You need to learn how to relax."

"In case you _forgot_," Jasmine whispered, "you drugged me on my birthday. What makes you think I'd be inclined to being any kinder to you? You aren't one of my friends."

Vanitas sighed and took a seat on her bed. "I only did that so you wouldn't go crazy. It's not like I sexually assaulted you or anything like that." He snickered. "If the girl isn't _willing_, it's not fun."

"You're disgusting," Jasmine rolled her eyes.

"No," he corrected her, "that's me being a gentleman."

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Jasmine laughed, clearly amused. "I'm not some chick who doesn't know any better."

Vanitas took it upon himself to lay back on Jasmine's bed, much to her ire. "If you were some random girl, I wouldn't be interested in you. I want a girl who's on my level. Why would I downgrade myself?"

Jasmine thought about that statement but shrugged her shoulder. "And why would I allow myself to be around a guy who is going to hit me?"

Vanitas was completely unaffected by Jasmine's words. Instead, he turned the focus of the conversation elsewhere. "I love your video by the way. I think you're quite possibly one of the most talented girls I've ever encountered. That's part of the reason why I'm attracted to you." He smiled, noticing how even the bedroom smelled like her. "There's always something new to discover."

"Thanks," she said flatly, secretly hoping and praying that Vanitas did not tell her parents.

"Really, I enjoyed it," Vanitas sat up and fished out an iPod from the pocket of his jeans. "I actually bought the song to support you. I could give a crap about Demyx. You were the real star of the show."

"Why?" Jasmine breathed.

"Why what, Faye?" Vanitas jumped off the bed and reached out to her but she stepped back.

"Why are you so intent on trying to break me down?"

He froze in place and frowned. "I'm testing you," he answered. "I'm trying to see if the woman I plan on being with can handle it."

"So that reinforces that you're sadistic," she pointed out, realizing that she had ended up at a wall again. "And in any case, what makes you think I want to be with you in the first place? I actually think I hate you a little bit," she said smugly.

Vanitas snatched Jasmine by her shoulders and pulled her to him so they were chest to chest. "I want you to keep in mind that I'm going to be the one person you'll need when it comes to dealing with your parents—well your father really. I'm offering you the chance again to help me out. I can guarantee you more satisfaction with life than anyone you know could ever give you."

What startled Jasmine more than anything was that she almost listened to him. Perhaps maybe after all this time, his words were starting to seep in. Then she mentally pictured her dinner with Riku, lunch and breaks with her friends, and coming home to Tifa and her extended family, and she snapped out of it.

"I don't believe you," she said finally.

"Did you really think that your father wouldn't find out about your video?" Vanitas knew that he struck a nerve by the slight panic in her eyes. "I was there with him. One of his coworkers' daughters was in love with the video and the subject was brought up at lunch.

At first he was angry. He said he was going to pull you out of school and ship you off to Traverse Town. However, I took him aside afterwards and told him that you weren't wearing scantily clad clothing, that you were dancing tastefully, and that your lyrics weren't sexual in any way. But what also got him to calm down was the fact that you are making money and that you're not going to be someone who fades away. In addition to that, you've been able to keep up your GPA.

Trust me, your father won' give you grief for this. Expect that quite soon, you'll see us all again."

"Vanitas," Jasmine was speechless. Perhaps there was something else he had in store for her that was more terrifying than anything else he had in store for her father.

The dark-haired college student held Jasmine's face in his hands, her grabbing onto his shirt to get ready to push him away if need be. "Stop worrying. After all, I just saved you."

Jasmine snarled at him. She felt a weight in her chest. She did owe him and she knew it. But the part of her that remembered how he harmed her repeatedly, wanted to slap him. Either way, Jasmine was at his mercy…she wasn't even sure if he understood what the word meant.

"I'm just trying to show you that I'm not going to screw you over in the end." With that, Vanitas released Jasmine and left the room, leaving her mind wandering hundreds of miles an hour.

* * *

"How's it going, Ms. Pop Diva?" Roxas asked jokingly as he met up with Jasmine at her locker.

The girl slid a book into place and shut the door, turning around to face Roxas.

Roxas' smile shrank when he saw the tired look in Jasmine's eyes. "Are you okay? You look like you haven't slept in days."

Jasmine tightened the messy bun on top of her head. "I've been awake since yesterday at six in the morning. I didn't even see my bed last night," she explained to him.

With her new career starting to take off, Jasmine began to feel the effects of it. Now a great deal of students who hadn't accepted her previously were going above and beyond to invite her out to other places. Also she was diligently working on her own independent single for her debut album and had to keep up with her studies. Plus with spending time with her boyfriend and fretting over Vanitas, Jasmine found that she had no chance for mental rest. She was certain that the physical aspect of it all was going to catch up with her very soon.

"Dang," Roxas slid a hand into the pocket of his slacks, "do you have a lot to do tonight? You should really get some rest."

'I would if I wasn't having dinner with Riku's parents,' Jasmine thought, sighing heavily at the thought. "I have some stuff to take care of, but hopefully I'll see my bed before three in the morning."

Roxas reached out to Jasmine. "You need to take a break, even if it's just for a few hours. You can't keep going through everything without one. That's how people tend to crash and burn."

Jasmine sighed, having no clue whatsoever how close she was to just that.

* * *

"I don't know about that," Riku said into his phone as he walked over to his car after school. "I might have other plans Ienzo."

There was a sigh from the other end. "You've disappeared for a while and when I want to have you over, you bail on me?"

"Ienzo," Riku began slowly, "I just can't drop everything at one time." He turned around and noticed Jasmine walking sluggishly to his car. "I'll text you in a minute." With that Riku hung up the phone and smiled upon spotting Jasmine. Not really caring that they were out in the open, he pulled her into a hug which she returned weakly. "Uh oh, someone's tired."

When Jasmine looked up, Riku noticed how tired she really was. She had dark circles under her eyes, her hair was pulled into a messy bun and she just emitted an aura that screamed exhaustion.

"Let's just say that it's been a long day." Jasmine pulled back from the hug. "I'm ready to get home and crawl back into bed. Luckily I don't have any interviews or studio work today."

Riku smiled at this. "So do you wanna crash at my place or yours?"

"Probably yours," she answered, walking behind him as he opened the door to the passenger's side for her. Jasmine slid in before Riku closed the door. Once he was in the car, he headed for his house. "Your bed is so much more comfortable."

"I actually like yours better for some odd reason, despite the fact that it's smaller," he pointed out.

Jasmine then said, "Did you ever consider the fact that it's _you _that's big and the bed isn't small. I have a queen size you know. I don't think they were made for huge blitzball players like yourself." She cleared her throat and rested her arm on the armrest. Riku then took hold of her hand as he drove and laced their fingers. "Who were you talking to on the phone? You seemed a bit irritated."

Riku's shoulders tensed up. He knew that Jasmine didn't particularly care for Ienzo, Alex or Larxene. While he understood that she probably wouldn't like the fact that they were speaking, he was also aware that she knew of their prior friendship.

"Ienzo wanted me to come to a party tomorrow night," he told her honestly.

As expected, Jasmine's face tightened. "Ah, the blond girl's bed-buddy," she replied, irritation clear in her voice. "I just can't be friends with them. It always feels as though they're planning something."

"Is that because you and Larxene have problems?" Riku asked.

Jasmine narrowed her eyes at him. "No. It's because I wouldn't trust that chick as far as I could throw her. Seriously Riku, they're not people you should be hanging around. I just sense something about them that doesn't set well with me."

"Me and Ienzo always got along beforehand," Riku turned left and then sped up when he saw that the road was clear. "True he can be a little shifty, but he's never done anything to me. You for that matter as well."

"I know that. But at least listen to me on this one Riku," she asked of him. Jasmine removed her glasses. Ever since she woke up this morning, she had this distinct aching feeling that something bad was about to happen. The nightmare she'd had of being killed had kept repeating herself and she was on edge. Usually, feelings like these were cause for distress because drama usually followed in the future.

Riku sighed. Ienzo was always hounding him about how they didn't hang out anymore and it was true. With Riku trying to become more close to Jasmine in the past few months, he hadn't really talked to Ienzo in a while. In part he felt guilty so that's why he was inclined to hang out now.

"What if I just go over to his place for a bit?"

Jasmine frowned at this. Putting her own feelings aside, she really didn't trust Ienzo. And to have Riku near him put her on edge. "Technically I can't make you NOT go. I'm not in charge of you," she told him simply.

Riku understood that just because a person said they were fine with something, it didn't necessarily translate that way. "You don't want me to go." This was a statement Riku already knew the answer to.

She gave him a lazy, half-lidded stare. If he wanted to go off with _them, _who was she to stop him? "I'm not in control of you Riku. I understand that you want to be with your friends." She exhaled. "Just go. Have fun."

Against his better judgment, Riku said that he would go. "But," he added, "I'll only be there for an hour tops and after that, I'll take you anywhere you want to go. How does that sound?"

While Jasmine was still heavily against the idea of him hanging out with Ienzo, she wanted him to enjoy himself a little bit. It was the _least _she could do for making them keep their relationship a secret.

"Deal."

* * *

Jasmine rested in the living room on that bright Saturday morning. Strangely, Riku did not come by like he said he would after the party at Ienzo's place. When she called the house, his mom said that he wasn't feeling well and that he'd caught some kind of cold of sorts. Even when Jasmine texted Riku later on in the evening, he still didn't respond.

'He's able to take care of himself,' she told herself. 'He's probably just not feeling well.'

Still, Jasmine couldn't shake off the nerves she had. She partially contributed it to her nightmare from the previous night.

_Flashback_

_Jasmine found herself in her old home back on Twilight Town, everything just the same as she remembered. But the house was unnaturally dark on the inside. Jasmine's vision was less than perfect to begin with so she was even more so on edge. _

"_It's your fault you know," a female voice called out to her._

_Jasmine whipped around to the voice's origin which was behind her. To her utter shock and surprise, she was staring at a vivid reflection of herself. However, _this _Jasmine was different all around. _

_She wore a low cut black dress, heavy eye makeup, left her long locks hanging and circled the real Jasmine, her too high heels clacking noisily against the tile. In addition to that, this Jasmine in front of her had a devious grin on her face. _

"_What's my fault?" the real Jasmine asked, cautiously eyeing the double._

"_You're much too soft," she replied. "Being nice all these years has gotten you nowhere. If you don't grow some backbone and stop caring about everyone, you might actually have a place out there in the world."_

"_You're wrong! I have people who care about me," Jasmine snapped. "They wouldn't do anything to harm me. You're delusional."_

_The other Jasmine scoffed. "You're precious, if not a bit annoying." She stopped in front of Jasmine for a good few seconds. "Don't be naïve. If you would pay attention to your guts, you'd know that something was wrong."_

_Just then, another figure stepped out from the shadows. Jasmine tensed up and stepped back. To her absolute horror, was Vanitas and he was standing besides the copycat Jasmine with his arms latched around her waist. _

"_I truly hope that you come to your senses," Vanitas began slowly, "and accept my proposal. It'll do you well to give up those meaningless friendships."_

_Jasmine now stepped back, feeling as if there was something deadly about the two in front of her. "Y-You're wrong," she stammered._

_The other Jasmine laughed. "Well enjoy the fall, sweetheart. It's always the good ones who lose out."_

_Once Jasmine took another step back, she fell backwards for what seemed like forever. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. She was met with nothing but silence and darkness._

_End of Flashback_

* * *

Sora headed up the stairs to Riku's bedroom with a folder of the junior's assignments inside. 'I hope he's feeling better,' Sora thought to himself. 'It's not like him to miss school or practice. Thank goodness we didn't have a blitzball game. Otherwise he'd be screwed with the coach.'

The door to Riku's bedroom was cracked opened and so Sora knocked on the frame before coming in. When he got inside, he saw Riku sitting on the edge of the bed, holding his head in his hands.

"Hey, Riku," Sora greeted cheerfully. "Glad to see that you're up."

When Riku lifted his head, Sora saw a strained, sort of tense look in the silver-haired teen's eyes. "Barely," Riku muttered. "My head is killing me. I think I got some sort of flu when I was at Ienzo's house."

Sora blinked. He hadn't heard Riku talk about Ienzo for a long time now. "What were you doing over there?"

"I was at a party," Riku explained. Ever since he came back from the party, his memory of the night had been nothing but a blur. All he remembered was getting inside, talking to a few members of the blitzball team and passing Alex and Larxene. After that, nothing.

"Well I hope it was a good party," Sora reached for a remote control and turned on the television for Riku. "Did you drink?"

"Of course not," Riku answered, "you know I don't touch alcohol."

"It seems like you have a really bad hangover or something," Sora said observantly. "You say you had the flu right?"

Riku grimaced. "I spent all of yesterday puking my guts out. Maybe something I ate didn't sit well with me."

Sora seemed concerned. Riku was a strong guy and he was never sick. For him to look this beat down it must have been one heckuva virus.

"And I didn't get a chance to go out with Jasmine like I had planned," Riku held his head in his hands. "I stood her up."

The spiky haired sophomore tried to comfort his friend. "I'm sure if you tell her you were sick, she'd understand. Jasmine's not the type of girl to go ballistic over nothing."

And yet, Riku had a creeping feeling that something had happened at the party. Something that would come back to haunt him sooner than later.

* * *

Jasmine barely moved from the couch when the doorbell rang. She lazily dragged herself up from her seat to answer the door, not caring how messy she looked at this point in time.

However, when she opened the door, there was no one there.

Jasmine stepped outside on the porch for a good ten seconds, saw no one, and then turned to step back inside the house. She felt something crunch underneath her bare foot and looked down to see a large, sealed envelope. Jasmine bent down and picked it up.

It had her name on it with no indication of who left it there.

She fingered the taped seal and opened it. "I wonder what's inside…"


	42. Chapter 42: Heartless

**Author's Comments: **Oh my gosh oh my gosh it's finally here! I'm not going to waste any time talking here. Just wanted to clear up something real fast: this is NOT the last chapter. Arguably it's probably one of the most important ones in the story as this is where everything is turned upside down. I wanna thank all those who read, fave, alert and the reviewers **ventus4ever, KittyFox1, ShatterTheHeavens, animechick247, The Sin Is Red, Xion's Person, and Lazyxafternoons**. You guys are all awesome!

Tell me what you think and take care! I'm so excited right now, I can't even begin to express myself. Okay, I'm done haha

-Skye

* * *

Her hand shook as she reached for the tube of dark liquid eyeliner. As she unscrewed the cap, she cursed out loud. She tried to steady herself so that way she wouldn't make a mistake when applying the eyeliner.

Jasmine's breath was heavy as she applied her makeup. This was unusual for her. She _never _wore makeup to school under any circumstance other than when she dressed up for Halloween. But of course that was for a class assignment.

The music playing from her laptop blared cheery pop music through the speakers although Jasmine's mood was far from that.

Once she was finished with her eyeliner and shadow, she untied her hair from its messy bun. This was also new. Jasmine never wore her hair down to school or, at all for the most part if it didn't deal with her job. But today, she wanted to look a little different.

Jasmine's eyes glanced at the large envelope sitting on top of her bed with a letter poking out from the top and frowned. Quickly she turned her attention to the vanity mirror, trying to keep from frowning as she ran a brush through her long hair.

But she would keep it all in until she got to school.

After all, today was a special day.

* * *

Riku, Sora, Kairi, and the rest of the group waited around Sora's locker before classes started. They all had a good twenty minutes before the bell so they had time to relax.

However, Riku was on pins and needles and it was quite clear to Sora.

"Are you okay?" Sora whispered to his friend.

Riku did not say a word. After he felt better, he tried getting in contact with Jasmine by texts, phone calls, he even drove by her house only to find that her car was missing. He hoped that nothing happened to her over the weekend. But he had this creeping feeling that something was terribly wrong.

Kairi looked over to the left and spotted Jasmine walking towards the group. "There she is. Hey Jasmine!"

As the young, up and coming songstress walked down the halls, she parted the crowd of people as she passed through. Jasmine looked like a great deal of the female population of the school at this point. She wore her hair down, the disappearance of her glasses was clear, had on makeup, ditched her socks for sheer black stockings and wore towering, blue platform hills that made her taller than a great deal of all those she passed in the hall. Even her skirt seemed noticeably shorter as she strutted down the hallway.

When Jasmine caught sight of the group, she clutched a purse to her side and breathed deeply, eyes wandering to Riku and then back to the group.

'Keep it under control,' she told herself.

"Wow," Roxas commented as she made her way over to him. "Wanted to go for a different look today?"

Jasmine smiled. "I figured I'd try something new. Besides it's a good day."

"Well you look nice," Naminé commented. However, she noticed something a bit off about Jasmine and her smile. Something was definitely wrong.

"Why is it a good day?" Sora asked curiously.

With that, Jasmine strolled on over to Riku (who was still shocked by her appearance) and kissed him passionately on the lips in front of the group, drawing stares and gasps from everyone. When she pulled back after what seemed like forever (at least to Riku), she smiled to the group.

"What the heck just happened?" Tidus asked, clearly gawking at Jasmine and Riku.

Roxas' eyes were locked on Riku. "Really, what was that?"

Riku was just as confused by the action as everyone else in the group. As far as he knew, Jasmine had wanted to keep their relationship under wraps. Now she wanted to go public with it?

"Faye," he hissed, "what's going on?"

Jasmine placed a hand on Riku's chest and then turned to the group. "Guess I should probably tell you guys: me and Riku have been dating since my birthday."

This earned more gasps from the group and irritation from Roxas.

"I figured now would be a good time to tell you guys," she said cheerfully, yet feeling shaken on the inside. 'Just hold it together for a little while longer,' she commanded herself mentally. "Isn't that right, Riku?"

All Riku could do was answer with a simple "Yes".

Tidus spoke up first. "Well, I didn't see that coming."

"Neither did I," Roxas growled.

Jasmine set her purse down on the floor next to Naminé and headed back over to Riku. "My father would've killed me if he found out. With everything going on, we figured it'd be best."

Riku grabbed Jasmine's elbow. "We need to talk," he whispered, urgency clear in his voice.

"No no," Jasmine said. "We're out in the open now. It's fine." She patted his chest. "By the way, how are Alex and Larxene?"

Before Riku could respond or even see it coming, Jasmine punched Riku square in the cheek, knocking him off his feet. She got in another swing at his chest before Sora and Tidus rushed Jasmine and restrained her.

Kari and Naminé rushed to Riku's side while Tidus and Sora pulled Jasmine away from the shocked and startled silver-haired teen.

"Whoa!" Sora called out, holding an excited Jasmine by the waist. "Jasmine calm down!"

Tidus had to pin Jasmine to the lockers. "What happened? Why did you punch him?"

Jasmine's cheerful smile was now gone, replaced by a look of complete hatred. "Let me go!" She told them, breaking away from the underclassmen. "I'm not going to hit him again! I promise."

Riku put a hand up to his jaw. Jasmine had actually, genuinely hurt him. In addition to that, there was blood on his cheek from where she struck him. And yet, he was too awestruck to really react or say anything. Everything was going on in a blur as if he were in some sort of horror movie where he was the one about to die next.

Once Jasmine was released, she walked over to Riku, a mask of pure hatred clear on her face. No longer were her eyes light, but they were dark, icy and cold.

"So, you like to play around with sluts?" She asked mockingly. "I guess I should have known better that people don't change." Jasmine walked over to where her purse was and Naminé and Kairi stood by Riku to protect him in case Jasmine decided to start swinging again.

Jasmine bent down besides Riku, balancing herself perfectly in her heels and tossed the envelope on Riku's chest. He stared at the envelope, clearly having never seen it before in his life.

"What are you talking about, Faye? Calm down!" Riku sat up and attempted to reach out to her, but she roughly slapped his hand away.

"Just look at the pictures. I hope you had fun at Ienzo's house," she said venomously. Jasmine rose to her feet gracefully and glared down on him, feeling her emotions beginning to surface. "Don't speak to me ever again," she told him.

Jasmine began to walk away when Riku stood up, ready to grab her. Jasmine whipped around to face him. "Leave me alone! I swear sometimes I wish I never met you!" She half-yelled, causing him to freeze on the spot.

Riku's nightmare from long ago was coming true except for now it was worse than ever. This was real life.

Before Jasmine walked off, she paused at a stunned Roxas. She stared at him sadly with a slight smile on his face. "I'm so sorry, Roxas. I probably should have given you another chance a long time ago."

With that, Jasmine turned on her heel and walked off down the hall, causing another path to be cleared for her from the students who had been watching the scene before their eyes.

Roxas snapped out of his daze and then turned to Riku, anger clear in his eyes. "What did you do to her?" he demanded.

Riku pushed past the group and picked up the envelope that Jasmine had given to him. Frantically, he took out what ended up being a series of photographs from the party. Each picture was more shocking than the last of what went on at the party, all of the events Riku could not remember. He finally came to the last photograph where it was Riku laying in a bed (presumably Ienzo's) with Larxene and Alex clearly wearing no tops snuggled up to him.

The silver-haired teen brushed the blood away from his face and his jaw locked. "Where the hell is Larxene?" he growled viciously.

* * *

Jasmine drove back to her house and sat in the driveway for a good few minutes, remembering all that had went on. She had decided to skip school for the rest of the day. There was no way she could keep it together in that environment with Riku and her friends there.

'I can't believe he cheated on me,' she thought miserably, eyes wide and threatening to spill over from tears.

Inside the envelope had been pictures of Riku at the party and each one was worse than the last. The first one had Riku sitting on a couch with a bunch of girls she did not know while holding a glass of something in his hands. It looked as though he were laughing and having a good time.

The next photo was of Larxene giving Riku a lap dance. Then one of Alex giving him a lap dance. Then as the pictures progressed they told the story of the two girls bringing Riku back to a bedroom and kissing all over him while tearing their clothes and his off, finally ended in them in the bed together.

Jasmine kept the letter written to her. It was short, simple and very much to the point.

"_He needs to be with real girls and not cut out pop wannabes. Have a nice day._

_-Larxene"_

Her phone vibrated for a long time. Most of it was probably because her friends had been texting her to see what was going on but she never answered them. She didn't want to deal with anything or anyone at the time. All she wanted was to crawl into bed and hide herself from the world.

But this seemed to be a phone call and, against her better judgment, she answered the call. Jasmine's voice was monotone as she answered.

"Hello?"

"I hear that you're not feeling well."

To Jasmine's displeasure, Vanitas was on the other end of the line. He never failed to call at the worst times imaginable.

"Vanitas," she said through gritted teeth. "Not. Now."

"I called your guardian this morning. She, you, me and your parents are to have a late breakfast this morning. We have something important to talk to you about."

"I don't want to talk to anyone right now," she told him forcefully, drawing laughter from the other end.

"It's nice to hear so much energy from you first thing in the morning. But get ready. We'll be there in fifteen minutes. This isn't something you'll want to miss." The smirk in his voice was undeniable.

"Vanitas, no," she tried once again. The line went dead and Jasmine pulled the phone away from her ear.

'I can't deal with any more bad news. Not today. Not now.'

Jasmine stared at the ring Riku gave her that was on her finger. She slid it off and set it in the palm of her hand, feeling her breathing become heavier and heavier.

'I guess some things were never meant to be.'

* * *

Riku cornered Larxene in a hallway during lunchtime. He had to separate himself from his friends. As he stood face to face with the girl, Riku was finding it difficult to control his anger as the blond smirked at him. She had no idea how much trouble she was in and how much damage she caused to Jasmine and himself.

"What did you do?" He asked darkly, trying to keep his voice under control.

Larxene smirked. "What's wrong? You seem a little tense."

"Don't play with me, Larxene," he warned. Riku held up the envelope Jasmine tossed at him. "What happened at Ienzo's party?"

She merely laughed and placed her hand over her mouth. "Don't you remember? We had a great time."

"No I don't remember and that's why I'm here. You'd better tell me everything Larxene…"

Larxene flipped one of her long, antennae like bangs from her eyes. "Oh come now, you should be happy. You're finally a free man. Now that you're away from that prissy little school girl, you can go back to your better days."

Riku approached Larxene but did not raise his hands to her. No matter what the cause, he would never hit a woman. "How did you find out?" He whispered.

The blond blinked and looked up. "I spotted you guys in the parking lot. C'mon Riku, it wasn't hard to predict that you'd fall for her."

"So what did you do to me at that party? I was fine when I got there." A thought then crossed his mind and his anger started to build up again. "Did you spike my drink or something? I know for a FACT that I didn't have alcohol."

Larxene shrugged her shoulders. "You needed to liven up a bit. Me and Alex were only trying to help," she said innocently.

Riku now understood why he blanked out and couldn't remember anything. He had been drugged. Otherwise, there would be no other explanation why he blanked out and lost his memory.

"You tend to be blatantly honest when you're out of your mind," Larxene continued. "All you could talk about was Jasmine this, Jasmine that, how you wanted to be with her, how you wanted to be public with the relationship." Her eyes widened and a wicked smirk appeared. "I think she did you wrong, keeping someone like you in the shadows," her hand rested on Riku's chest and she pushed him away.

"Why?"

Larxene blinked. "Why what, Riku? Aren't you happy? You finally have a chance to be free, to be with a real woman. I know that little prude wasn't _doing _anything for you."

Riku detected the underlying meaning in Larxene's words. "Why do you hate Jasmine so much? What has she ever done to you? You probably ruined our relationship and you don't even care."

"I just don't like the girl," Larxene answered plainly. "She's a poor, innocent little school girl who needed to learn her place. So," Larxene walked forward, "Me and Alex decided to do a little photo shoot with you. We had a blast. Although," she rolled her eyes, "It was a little annoying to hear you keep going on and on about Jasmine the entire time. I mean, we didn't sleep together or anything. Couldn't do it with all your whining about your ex…"

Riku had enough. No wonder Jasmine had told him to steer clear of Larxene, Alex and Ienzo. Their whole group was out of control and didn't give a crap about anyone but themselves.

He started to walk away when he heard Larxene's laughter. "Quite a shame about Jasmine though. She'll get over you..._eventually._"

Riku stopped and looked over his shoulder, eyes blazing with so much anger that Larxene stopped laughing altogether. "Why don't you stop acting like such a slut and stay out of people's lives. I feel sorry for you." And with that he took off down the hall, wondering how in the world he was going to fix this mess.

None of this was really his fault. Larxene had clearly put something in his drink so he wasn't in his right mind. Larxene even said herself that all he could talk about was Jasmine so his mind was clearly on her. That should be enough to clear his name, right?

Well that was the hope at least. Best thing to do would be to let her cool down for a few hours.

But what if she didn't cool down? What if she never spoke to him again? Things were going so well for them.

Riku was not going to let someone like Larxene take away the one person he cared about most. That much was for certain.

* * *

Jasmine and Tifa sat in the backseat while Reno and Rude drove them to the restaurant. Tifa, now wearing a blazer and pencil skirt looked on at Jasmine who had a completely lifeless look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Tifa asked, clearly concerned by Jasmine's behavior.

Still, Jasmine said nothing. She was too lost in her own thoughts to even respond. Jasmine rested her hands in her lap, pulling down the skirt of the red dress that was given to her by her father a few days ago. She should have known that it was to be for a special occasion. But then again, there are a lot of things Jasmine probably should have known.

"When we get home," Jasmine promised her, voice barely above a whisper. She bent down and adjusted the straps of her stilettos.

When Reno and Rude pulled up in front of the restaurant, they opened the doors for the two women. Once standing on the curb, Jasmine's vision was obscured by total darkness and she freaked out. However, a hand reached out to take hers. This hand was not soft like Tifa's or gloved like Reno or Rude's, but it was much rougher.

"Don't worry," to Jasmine's horror it was Vanitas speaking to her, "I'll lead you."

Jasmine figured that Vanitas was very lucky. If she wasn't blindfolded and with Tifa, she most likely would have chewed him out and stormed off. But she was in mixed company so she kept her emotions under control, something that was becoming increasingly difficult with time.

She allowed Vanitas to take her through (what she believed) was a restaurant and heard the familiar sound of clinking and glasses and forks scratching against plates. However, the chatter of the restaurant faded away and Jasmine heard two doors opening, spilling light on the girl.

Then the unmistakable scent of flowers overpowered Jasmine's sense of smell and for a brief moment she forgot about the events of the day. Just as suddenly, the blindfold was removed from Jasmine's vision and she found herself standing in the middle of a patio with a breathtaking garden surrounding her with the sun shining through directly over a table where her parents and Tifa were sitting.

Sofia stood up with a smile on her face and rushed over to Jasmine, giving the girl a tight hug.

"My daughter," Sofia exclaimed. "We're so proud of you!"

Jasmine returned the hug stiffly. "Hello, Mother."

Even her father had a smile on his face. "Hello Faye. I'm glad to see you."

Ever comment Jasmine reserved for her parents slipped to the back of her mind. 'Since when were they so happy to see me?'

Tifa, Sofia and Mr. Silva sat on one side of the table while Vanitas (who she admitted looked quite dashing in a new, dark blue suit) pulled her to the other side across from the adults. After Vanitas pulled out her chair and she sat down, he took the chair next to her and smiled.

Sofia looked to her husband before turning to Jasmine. "It's quite amazing how much you have been able to accomplish in almost a year of being at that school. Stellar grades, personal growth, and even a record contract with one of the top agencies in our times. Jasmine," she rested her hands on the table, "we would like you to continue to live with Tifa and finish out your senior year with her and attend whatever university you like."

Jasmine's eyes widened and she looked to Tifa who smiled brightly. "I-I can stay?"

Mr. Silva nodded. "I don't see why not. You've done wonderfully up to this point. Your mother and I discussed it and we want you to stay with Tifa."

Jasmine was given a small fleeting chance at happiness with Tifa. However, her happiness usually didn't last long and she expected something big to come and ruin it.

"Vanitas, don't you have something to share with Jasmine?" Her father asked politely.

Jasmine heard Vanitas stand up. Like the perfect actor, he painted a shy smile on his face and took her hands in his.

"Faye," he began slowly, "I know that you probably have a lot on your mind right now and that you probably do not need another distraction. This much I understand. But," he cleared his throat and squeezed her hands tighter.

'What the bloody hell is going on?' Jasmine's mind and heart raced. Where was all this coming from?

"But I _want_ to be a part of your life because I care very deeply for you." Vanitas' gold orbs locked with hers. "You're intelligent, talented, sweet and beautiful and I'm never going to find another girl like you for as long as I live."

Jasmine stopped breathing entirely when Vanitas pulled out a small black box. She was pretty sure she began hyperventilating but the sound of her heartbeat in her ears blocked everything out.

Vanitas took the box, opened it and revealed a gorgeous white gold engagement ring with a red, triangular cut diamond in the center. He then got down on one knee.

"Faye Silva, will you marry me?" He asked, a smile in his eyes.

Jasmine's jaw flopped open and she stared at the ring and Vanitas. 'Is this happening? This can NOT be happening. He just PROPOSED? Oh my goodness this isn't happening…'

Jasmine's father spoke up first. "Vanitas had already asked for my permission a few days ago. Of course it'll be a long engagement because you're not yet eighteen," he added, "But I believe he'll take care of you."

Tifa saw the startled look on Jasmine's face and rushed out of her seat over to the young girl. "I think she's stunned. Let me talk to her." With that, Tifa pulled Jasmine from her chair and pulled the junior off into the back part of the restaurant.

Once they were out of earshot, Jasmine nervously let loose. "What the HELL? This is NOT modern Tifa!" She began to pace nervously around the area, digging her hands into her hair and pulling them at the roots. "I cannot get MARRIED at eighteen!"

"Calm down Jasmine," Tifa tried to calm the girl's nerves. Yet even Tifa was stunned by the action. When she spoke to Sofia on the phone there was no talk of any engagements or anything like that. When Tifa could get Sofia alone, she would be sure to tear into Mrs. Silva for putting her daughter through this.

"How can I calm down? I'm being pawned off to some creep!" She shouted.

Just then, Mr. Silva entered with irritation clear on his face. "Faye, do you even realize how much you've insulted Vanitas and myself? You are one of the most ungrateful children I have ever met," he said sharply.

However, Jasmine fired right back. "This isn't modern! How can I marry someone I don't love at age?"

"You will learn to love him. This boy will do anything he can for you."

Jasmine refused. "And if I say no?"

Mr. Silva seemed unaffected by Jasmine's threat. "It's simple: I will pull you from the school, send you to Traverse Town to their all-girl's private boarding school, cut off all ties with your friends, make you break the contract with that record label and _still _make you marry Vanitas. It is already set in stone for a wedding after you turn eighteen in the spring."

Jasmine nearly fell to her knees and would have done so if Tifa did not steady her. It was like she never had a chance to begin with. She was completely under her father's control and under the control of every man she was connected to. It was as if her life was no longer hers.

"But she's so young," Tifa interjected on the girl's behalf.

Mr. Silva smiled. "That's good. It means she'll mature even more. I guarantee you, Tifa that Vanitas will be able to give Jasmine a good life. Of course she'll go through university first, but this is for her own good."

'I never stood a chance,' Jasmine felt (for the second time today) that she had been slapped in the face. 'I never had a chance at happiness to begin with…'

Something snapped in Jasmine then. All the rage and pain that she had felt from her early so-called childhood, to the memories of the children who made fun of her, to now where Riku had betrayed her and where she had been cornered by her father and Vanitas. Vanitas knew what was going on, that's why he'd been so smug with her.

Jasmine's jaw tightened and her eyes hardened. She knew there was nothing else to do but surrender.

With that, she broke away from Tifa and brushed past her father and burst through the doors. Vanitas was now standing up next to her mother who appeared to be consoling him.

"There you are!" Sofia called out, leaving Vanitas' side.

All the light was gone from Jasmine's eyes. There was nothing else she could do.

She walked over to Vanitas and looked him in the eye, understanding that she was staring into her future.

"I will marry you, Vanitas," she replied with as much positive emotion as possible in the situation. "Not because of outside factors or what my parents say," Jasmine told him. "But as my own decision."

Jasmine felt her heart breaking with each and every word. This kind of heartbreak should never exist and it took Jasmine all she had to not crumble where she stood.

"You'll marry me?" Vanitas asked, feigning surprise to the T.

She nodded her head once and allowed Vanitas to slip the ring on her left ring finger. Their fingers laced together and Vanitas embraced her tenderly while she followed suit to avoid any comments from her parents. Jasmine buried her face into his chest and allowed him to stroke her hair.

'I never even had a chance,' she thought in despair.

* * *

When Jasmine and Tifa arrived back at the house after the brunch, Jasmine was completely silent.

"Don't worry about it," Tifa said, holding onto Jasmine's hand, "I called the school. You can take the rest of the day off."

Still Jasmine said nothing. After Reno and Rude dropped them off, Tifa led Jasmine up the steps. When the door was opened, Zack, Aerith, Cloud and Yuffie stood in the entryway. It seemed as though Tifa had called them on over to talk about what was going on.

Yuffie came to Jasmine first, alarmed by the lifeless look in the girl's face.

"Do you need me to take you upstairs?" She offered kindly.

Jasmine politely declined by waving her hand. She walked through the group slowly as if she were one of the undead. She was positive that all eyes were on her as she headed up the stairs until she disappeared from sight but it didn't matter.

She kicked off her shoes as soon as she closed the door behind her and shrugged out of her blazer jacket. Jasmine stared long and hard at the ring on her finger. She recalled the moment right after brunch when it was just her and Vanitas on their own.

"_I told you I always win."_

Then her eyes fell on the picture on her desk of her and Riku, her ring sitting on top of it. All the memories of the years past, the heartbreak she had faced all her life and the current rage inside was much too much for Jasmine to bear.

She ran over to her bed and flipped the mattress over, throwing the pillows and clothes laying on her bed into the walls. Jasmine then dashed over to her desk and tossed everything to the floor, pulling things out of her drawers and sending them flying across the room. By the she was finished, there were papers flying in the air and debris all over the floor.

Jasmine was panting and breathing heavily, eyes alive and wild. She made her way over to the back wall while biting the index finger of her right hand, a habit that she'd had whenever she felt anger or frustration. Jasmine slowly made her way over to the other side of the room and crumpled to the floor, staring at the mess madly.

Then, Jasmine began to sob uncontrollably while sitting upright. She held her hands in her hands and did not care that she was probably loud enough for everyone in the house to hear her. Nothing else mattered at this point in time. She just needed time to be human and shed a few tears.

'This is what true heartbreak feels like…' she reasoned with herself.

All the images of the past few months began to haunt her, especially images of the men in her life.

Jasmine made a vow to herself right then and there that eventually, somehow, some way, she'd make sure that they felt all that she felt at this moment.

If she was to suffer and feel this kind of outrageous pain, she'd make sure that she dragged them down with her. Riku, Vanitas, her father…all of them. She just had to be cautious, calculated, and callous all at the same time. Jasmine figured that if she was to go through this hell, then it would be fitting that they did the same.

All's fair in love and war after all.


	43. Chapter 43: Cold

She allowed herself to slip into a deep sleep. The reality outside her dreams was too much for her to bear at the moment.

Luckily for Jasmine, Tifa had given her permission to take off a few days from school. With all that transpired on Monday, there was no way that her focus would be on her academics anyway.

Jasmine stared at the ring Vanitas gave her which remained on her hand. She never actually imagined herself getting married in the first place. Now she was engaged to be married for a spring wedding before she was even eighteen. Some girls might find this to be a dream come true but for Jasmine, the idea of marrying someone like Vanitas was nothing more than a nightmare coming alive before her eyes.

After Jasmine had put her room back together, she packed away everything that Riku had ever given her. Just having it in her sight put a strain on her already broken heart and Jasmine wanted to do nothing else but rest and forget about him. However, Jasmine left the ring he gave her sitting on her now tidy desk. She knew it wasn't proper to have that ring when she technically _belonged_ to another man.

But Jasmine knew deep in her heart that she still loved Riku.

However this did not change the fact that Jasmine was going to treat him and the other men in her life the same as how they treated her. Karma is a beast, but she works quicker.

Jasmine sat up and rubbed her puffy eyes. She slowly rolled out of bed and made her way to the kitchen, cell phone clutched in hand. Luckily for her, Tifa had gone to work so she had the house all to herself. Jasmine reached into the cabinets where Tifa kept the alcohol. She then jumped up on her toes and pulled out a bottle of white wine Tifa used ever so often. After the bottle was open, she pulled out a wine glass and poured herself a fair amount. She needed something to calm her damaged nerves.

After Jasmine took a sip, she held the glass close to her face and dialed a number in her phone. She waited patiently for the person to answer and almost gave up after the fourth ring. The person answered just before Jasmine was about to hang up.

"It's not every day that I get a call first thing in the morning from my fiancé," Vanitas stated.

"It's only been two days since I became your fiancé," Jasmine reminded him coyly. "But I figure it would be a good idea to get to know my future husband."

Vanitas was quiet on the other end of the line. "You seem awfully cheerful for someone who appeared to have had everything pulled out from under her feet."

Jasmine smirked. "Oh no," she argued, "I still get everything that I want, and I will. But I do know that you are the one who caused all this. For you to have conned my father into marrying off his underage daughter off to someone he clearly can't see through is a bit astounding. Yet..." Jasmine found herself smiling wickedly, "You've definitely set him up to be perfectly screwed over."

"It's also not every day that I find myself being complemented by the woman I'm sure hates me as well. Perhaps I'm finally growing on you as you have on me."

She listened on and continued to drink. Strangely, her thoughts were becoming clearer and clearer with every sip. "I hate my father," she told him. "I think it's pretty apparent that I care nothing for him or my mother. But I'm not going to be able to do what I want to do with his thumb over me for the rest of my life."

"Oh? I'm sensing a change in your attitude."

"I don't care what happens, Vanitas," she told him, "I want to make sure my father suffers for all that he has done to me. You said once that you wanted me, is that still the case?"

Jasmine could almost feel Vanitas smiling on the other end of the line.

"I believe I am going to enjoy this relationship much more now that I have you on my side. I can't wait until the next time we meet."

Once Jasmine was done with the glass, she poured another. "Me neither." And then she hung up the phone, setting it on the counter.

'Idiot,' she thought darkly, drinking steadily from the glass.

* * *

Roxas did not want to hear from anyone. Not Sora, Kairi, Tidus, Selphie, and especially not Riku of all people. Although he knew that quite soon they were going to have to have a conversation on the subject. So after school he drove over to the one person he needed to speak to the most.

When he was on Jasmine's doorstep, he noticed that her car was in the driveway. Roxas expected her to be home. She only missed school when she was terribly ill.

Suddenly the door swung open and Roxas found himself staring face to face with Jasmine.

"Roxas," Jasmine began, smiling slightly, "What are you doing here?"

The blond noticed that she seemed flustered and there was a red tint to her cheeks. In addition to that, she didn't seem sick. "I wanted to see if you were okay. You disappeared on Monday and no one has been able to get in contact with you since then."

"Oh," she drawled. "I see." With that she tugged him inside her home and locked the door behind him, skipping on ahead of Roxas and over to the living room. "Well that's awfully nice of you."

As she spoke, Roxas caught a very familiar scent on Jasmine's breath but tried to think otherwise. "Well," Roxas followed her into the living room to find her sitting in front of the television. His eyes widened when he spotted a nearly empty bottle of wine sitting next to her. "We're friends after all. I care about you."

Roxas approached her cautiously. He had no idea if she was drunk or not and he didn't want to startle her. "Did you drink that whole bottle by yourself?"

Jasmine looked over her shoulder and calmly answered, "Yes. It's actually pretty good."

While her eyes were focused on the screen, Roxas bent down and took the bottle away from her, setting it on the counter. "I didn't know you drank like that," Roxas said slowly.

She immediately turned around. "This is what happens when I get super stressed. I can't calm down," her voice went up about half an octave, "I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't focus or see straight. Sooo I drank a bit to calm my nerves." She smiled at him then and waved it off. "Don't worry, Roxas. I'm a heavyweight. I'm barely buzzed!"

Whatever happened between her and Riku clearly messed her up. Jasmine did not seem like the type to drink out of sadness or anger.

Roxas pulled her up to her feet. "Jasmine, what did he do to you?"

She blinked, confusion clear on her face. "Who now?"

"What happened between you and Riku?" Roxas asked patiently.

She strolled on over to the kitchen and rested her elbows on the counter. If it weren't for the fact that she seemed cheerful, that she was practically blushing and that her voice was higher than usual, no one would catch that she had been drinking.

"We were together," she started out, staring at the ceiling, "then he cheated on me with Larxene and Alex. At the same time even! I found pictures so there's no way he could lie and try to cover anything up."

Roxas frowned. He knew Riku had been a player, but he didn't expect him to cheat on a girl. Especially a girl like Jasmine. Roxas couldn't even imagine cheating on her when they were together.

Jasmine pulled her bangs out of her face and stared at the near-empty bottle of wine. "So, I called him out on it." Her voice then returned to its normal octave, albeit there was a dark tone to it. "I'm stupid. I should have known better that we couldn't be together. It's my fault."

Roxas interrupted her. "It's not your fault he cheated."

She waved her hands and closed her eyes. "No no it has to be my fault. We wanted—well I wanted to keep it a secret." She reached for the bottle before Roxas could take it away and downed the rest of the contents smoothly. "You see...my father is an asshole and he would have shipped me off to another island if he knew I was with someone."

"Go on…" Roxas was interested in what she had to say. Jasmine seldom spoke about her parents and this seemed like a clue leading to her current state.

"The only reason you and I got away with it was because at the time he wasn't active in my life. Now, he won't leave me alone! I was scared at the time. But I _still _should have known better." She lifted her head and stared off to the side, a sad look in her eyes with her mouth pouted up in a frown. "I'm not supposed to be happy. Guess it's not for me."

It was silent for at least a good thirty seconds, neither one of them saying anything. This was the first time Roxas had ever seen Jasmine look so hurt.

"But it's not just him," she added. "Something else happened."

"What else happened?" Roxas inquired. It seemed as though there was much more to the story than what Jasmine was letting on.

Jasmine's head hung low. "I don't get it. I'm not this weak. I hate this!"

Roxas noticed that there was a single drop of water on the counter-top where Jasmine was standing. Then he saw her shoulders shaking.

"I never had a chance to begin with," she said through shaky, broken breaths.

The droplets of water multiplied and then Roxas knew that she was crying for certain. The strong, gentle, determined Jasmine was falling apart before his eyes and there was nothing he could do about it.

"I never had a chance. They won't stop until I'm dead," she repeated again.

Jasmine let go of the counter-top and nearly fell to the ground. Fortunately, Roxas caught her before she hit the floor. She clung to his shirt and was now sobbing at this point, not even bothering to speak anymore.

Roxas then scooped her into his arms and carried her into the living room, sitting on the sofa while continuing to hold her. He allowed Jasmine to cry for an unknown amount of time until finally, she was silent. Roxas then brushed her hair out of her face and found that she was now asleep. There was no reason in the world she should be hurting this bad.

When Roxas got a free moment after he put Jasmine to bed, he would make sure that he paid Riku a special visit.

* * *

Kairi waited for Riku by his locker, waving at him to come over at lunchtime.

"Were you able to get in contact with Jasmine?" Kairi asked, eyes filled with concern.

It seemed as though the entire ordeal with Jasmine had Riku worn out and stressed. It was especially clear in his eyes.

"No," he answered tiredly. Riku stuffed his hands into his pockets. "You know, for someone as easy to find as Jasmine, I'm having a pretty hard time."

Kairi shifted on her feet. "Roxas told me he saw her yesterday and that she was REALLY sick."

Riku cringed a bit. Even though Roxas had been out of the picture for a while, just the idea of him getting close enough to see Jasmine put him on edge. "I need to see her."

"Look, Riku," Kairi told him, "Jasmine is an understanding person by nature. You told me the truth about what really happened and I know that if you can get her alone, she'll understand."

"It really feels like something else is wrong," Riku added, feeling as if another bomb was going to be dropped on him. In the time that he knew Jasmine, Riku did not believe that something like Larxene's scheme was enough to keep her out of school for days on end. It had to be something else.

"Riku," called out a familiar male voice.

Riku cringed. Approaching the pair was Roxas who had a less than pleased expression on his face. "Damn," he whispered. "I should have seen this coming."

Roxas walked up to Riku and Kairi, smiling pleasantly at the redhead. "Hey, Kairi. Can I steal him away for a bit?"

Kairi stared at Roxas. She knew what they were going to talk about but did not want to let on. "Go for it." She turned on her heel and headed down the hall. "See you guys later!"

Once she was gone, the smile on Roxas' face was gone. "We need to talk, _now._"

Riku straightened up and leaned against the lockers. After all that Jasmine had thrown at him, he was sure that whatever Roxas had to say couldn't be that bad.

"I can't believe you cheated on Jasmine," Roxas began, "what's worse is that I can't believe that you decided to go behind my back and try to date my ex in the first place."

"If I recall, you two broke up," Riku reminded him.

"But that does not mean that I would have dated one of your exes," Roxas reminded him, eyes blazing with fury. "You knew how much I really liked her and care about her. How long were you looking at her?"

It was then that Riku felt a twinge of guilt. "Since Halloween," he admitted honestly. "Back then, I started to see that she was probably more than just a new kid."

Roxas was stunned. He had no idea that Riku had Jasmine on his mind for _that _long. "It doesn't really matter now. What is important is that you tell me what happened." Roxas' royal blue eyes narrowed fiercely. "I went to see her."

Riku's curiosity peaked. "You talked to her? Is she okay?"

"No," Roxas replied darkly, becoming angrier upon remembering how she broke down in front of him. "She's a complete wreck." He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Guess what I come to find her doing when I happened to go by her house? Go on, take a guess."

Riku remained silent.

"She was drinking heavily. Not to the point where she was completely out of her mind, but she had finished an entire bottle of wine by herself."

Riku's guilt continued to grow and grow. He really wished he had listened to her that day she advised him not to go to that party.

"And then," Roxas pursed his lips, "I had to watch her cry and have a complete breakdown…_because of you_. She's completely miserable. But then again," Roxas scoffed, "maybe you don't even care."

Riku was not about to let Roxas disregard his feelings for Jasmine. "Who the hell are you to tell me that I didn't care about her?" Riku advanced on Roxas. "You don't know what it was like when _we _were together."

"Well if you cared then you wouldn't have cheated," Roxas fired, not backing down.

"Larxene and Alex," Riku lowered his voice, "drugged me at that party. That's why I didn't come to school the next day. Otherwise, there is no way I would have ended up in that situation."

"It's easy to see that she and Larxene don't mix. Why would you even go in the first place? I'm sure she probably told you that she doesn't trust them. Does that mean that you don't care about what she thinks?"

"Keep this in mind, Roxas," Riku warned. "Who saved her on Halloween? Who was the person who figured out her first name? Who was the one who brought her over on Christmas when she had no one else to spend it with? Who was the one who made sure that she had a shot at a record deal and find happiness? You don't have any right to tell me that I didn't care about Jasmine. I love her and I'm not going away so you're going to have to deal with it eventually."

Despite the anger he felt towards Riku, Roxas actually felt relieved in a way. He didn't like the way things had gone between his friend and ex, but it was then that Roxas realized that Riku genuinely had feelings for Jasmine. He still wasn't happy about it, but if Jasmine wanted to be with Riku, he would not stand in the way of her happiness.

"Well," Roxas said finally, "all you have to do is talk to her and see what happens. You can't be in a relationship with her if she refuses to speak to you."

Riku sighed and stepped back. "I know this. I just don't know when I can. If we can't speak soon, I'm not sure I can fix this."

Suddenly, Roxas remembered something that might be beneficial to the situation.

"When she was freaking out, Jasmine kept on making references to people who wanted to make her miserable and how she couldn't believe something was happening." Roxas calmly stated, "I think there's more going on with Jasmine that what we know. I'm sure that what happened with you and Larxene was a bit more than she expected, but there is NO way Jasmine would have broke down like that on just one incident. There has to be something bigger going on."

Riku tried to think back to all the times he and Jasmine spoke about her family. If he was to start digging up information, his best bet would be to start with her parents. After all, Jasmine had openly stated that she disliked both her parents. She never said that she despised them, but that's the feeling he got from all their talks.

"I'm going to check on her again this evening and tell you how she's doing," Roxas rubbed one of his shoulders. "If she looks like she wants to kill you, I'll let you know so that you don't approach her. Jasmine isn't the kind of person you want to mess with if she's angry." He shuddered. "Trust me, I know."

"I still think I outdid you a bit with this one. I just hope she forgives me."

Roxas, for the first time in a while, smiled. "She will." He headed down the hall and left Riku standing there. "I can't believe I'm helping him win back my ex. Never thought I'd see the day…"

* * *

Tifa shut the door when she walked into the house, carrying in a folder of Jasmine's work that she missed when she was absent. Even she had to admit that Jasmine had a quite a load. She must have had almost forty pages worth of work to make up. If Tifa were in her situation, she wasn't sure that she could have done it.

Jasmine came down the stairs and Tifa stared at her curiously. Instead of being in her pajamas (as she had been for about four days) she was actually dressed up in a white, sleeveless blouse, a flared black skirt that was a few inches above her knees, pumps, and a string of pearls around her neck with her hair tied into a high ponytail.

"I see you're feeling better," Tifa noted, eying Jasmine cautiously. She remembered watching Jasmine clean her messy room in the aftermath of her freak out (which she had missed). "I've spoken to your mom. She and I are going to have a one on one session this weekend to talk about what happened."

The now stoic-looking teenager slipped on a watch and slipped her phone into a purse.

"It's okay, Tifa," Jasmine said kindly, adjusting the back of her shoes so they wouldn't cut into her heels. "I'll deal with them."

Tifa leaned against the entryway table. "They can't do this. You'll be eighteen before the wedding and at that point, you're technically considered an adult. After that point, you're not obliged to do anything they want."

Jasmine responded casually. "I'm aware of that."

The older woman blinked. "You know this already?"

Jasmine nodded. "I figured it out the moment my father told me I was engaged. The wedding would fall right after my birthday and I could pretty much do whatever I wanted."

Something seemed off about the way Jasmine went about the situation. In the car on the way home, she was completely shaken, almost on the verge of a major panic attack. Now she seemed to not have a care in the world about the entire incident.

But then again, Tifa was dealing with an incredibly intelligent seventeen year old. Surely Jasmine would have figured out a way out of it on the spot or at least within a few minutes of the announcement.

"So when you hit eighteen, you're going to decline Vanitas' proposal, right?"

"No," Jasmine answered plainly.

Tifa was stunned. "What do you mean? You don't love that boy plus you're too young to get married."

Jasmine leaned against a door frame. "I don't care if I ever see my parents again. That is a fact. But for now, I'm going to need Vanitas if I want to keep the contract and stay on the island."

"What about Riku? What is he to think when he finds out that you're engaged?" Tifa asked curiously. When Jasmine told the story about how Riku cheated on her, Tifa thought that everything sounded off. True her god-daughter and him didn't get along well and they drove each other insane, but Tifa was sure that something extra might have come into the equation to have made things go so wrong.

"He's on my list too," she replied, heading for the door.

Tifa then said softly, "You still love him though, don't you, Jasmine?"

She froze but then shook off the feelings. "Yes I do. Very much." Jasmine opened the door but stopped before she left the house. "But I do remember one thing my mother taught me, and it's the one things that makes sense. It's not really about love anymore. I'm going to do all I can to survive for the next year. I'll still keep my family like you, Aerith and others close, but as for everyone else I need to keep a certain distance."

Tifa's heart nearly broke when Jasmine spoke those words. What was more disheartening was that she spoke them with such heartlessness. Was the young, sweet girl she had loved dearly being turned into her father?

"Where are you going?" Tifa then asked, trying to smile despite everything.

"I'm having dinner with Vanitas," Jasmine replied, "I figured it would be better if I stayed in his good graces. I'm just trying to play my cards right so that I can survive for this next year. I'll see you after dinner!" She smiled at Tifa, but the pain in the young girl's eyes was still clear. Jasmine shut the door behind her and locked it, the click echoing through the silent house.

'What have they done to her?' Tifa thought sadly.

* * *

"So have you made the announcement to your family yet?" Jasmine asked Vanitas casually before she took a bite of chocolate cake.

Vanitas nodded. "There will be an engagement party during the summer. They're excited to meet you."

She laughed darkly. "I bet they are…"

"They saw it coming though," Vanitas continued, pushing back his empty dessert plate. "Your father has been having lunch with my aunts and uncles for the past couple of months. It's not a surprise."

Jasmine narrowed her eyes but kept the grin on her face. "I was shocked," she replied flatly.

Ever since the day the engagement was announced to Jasmine, Vanitas couldn't get enough of how he had managed to trick the girl into marriage. "It won't be a marriage like the one your parents are in. I'll actually treat you as equal."

Jasmine laughed hollowly. "The thing with them," she pointed off to the side, "is that they actually love each other, and they love elevating their status. Plus, you don't love me. And I'm almost one hundred percent positive that my father never hit my mother, choked her, or drugged her up."

Vanitas didn't seem fazed by any of this. "If you weren't so hell-bent on fighting me, or had that look in your eye that said "I'll kill him" I might have actually left you alone."

"Cut the crap," Jasmine snapped, "you want someone to control. I'm not the one, Vanitas."

"Even now, it looks like you want to reach across the table and choke me out," Vanitas noted, watching her carefully.

Jasmine shrugged her shoulders and took another bite of cake. "I don't have to do anything. Karma will take care of it one way or another."

"Don't wish ill on your future husband," he said playfully. "A few years down the line you might jinx our marriage."

"You make it sound like you _actually_ want to marry me," she scoffed.

"Faye, I've told you a hundred times that I want you," Vanitas reminded her.

'In probably all the wrong ways, like six feet under after his scheme works,' She thought grimly. Jasmine hated how he said her name. The reason for this was because it reminded her of how Riku used to be the only one who called her by her first name. Besides, the term "want" had a lot of different meanings to it. "Want" did not automatically translate into love.

"By the way, when are you returning to school?" Vanitas asked, watching her pop half a strawberry into her mouth.

Jasmine stopped in the middle of her chewing, closed her eyes and then swallowed. "I'm taking early finals for all my classes after school next week. The school already agreed to it. I start back in September with the rest of my class and my scholarship will cover everything. I need to take a break for a little while."

"Are you staying with Tifa?"

"Most of the time," Jasmine answered. "Keep in mind I have to work. My album isn't going to write itself."

"Well," Vanitas began, "I definitely got lucky in the fiancé department. It's not every day that men get to marry singers."

It irked Jasmine to no end to hear him keep talking about the wedding. But before this whole plan went any further, Jasmine had a few things to say. "If you want me to be cooperative, you're going to have to do a couple of things for me. And if not, I swear I don't care what happens to me, I'm walking out on you."

Vanitas was curious. "What is it that you want me to do?"

Jasmine gave him a firm stare. "You will _not _put your hands on me to hit me, choke me, or kick me or cause any type of physical harm. Do you understand me, Vanitas?"

He chuckled slightly. "You seem genuinely upset."

Trying to hold in her anger, Jasmine exhaled and got up from her side of the booth, sliding over to Vanitas' side. She grabbed hold of his tie and tightened it a bit, holding him in place and trying her hardest to fight the urge to choke him on the spot. "I'm dead serious, if you lay a hand on me, you WILL regret it."

Vanitas gave her a half-lidded stare. There was something about the way her eyes seemed to blaze that both excited him, and unnerved him at the same time. "And your other conditions would be?"

"You will keep me updated on whatever is going on with my father. If we're partners in this, I need to know exactly what he's planning at all times."

"What else?"

"You will call me Jasmine, not Faye," she finished.

"Deal," Vanitas said without hesitation. "You see? I do want to please you."

Jasmine loosened her grip on his tie. "Is that so?"

Once the waitress came back around, Vanitas handed her the bill and both he and Jasmine left the restaurant.

Jasmine shivered slightly when his arm slid around her waist as they walked. Like his personality, his hands seemed much too cold for her. Jasmine then found herself slipping into a memory of Riku and Jasmine walking along the beach and how warm his body was when he pulled her to him by her waist.

But those days were over.

As they waited for the valet to pull the car up, Vanitas spoke. "I have a few requests as well."

Jasmine broke clean of her memory upon the statement. "And what would they be?"

Vanitas looked down on Jasmine. "They're very simple and not that demanding."

"Go on." Jasmine knew that he would have a couple demands of his own.

"The first is that you will spend time with me this summer. I think I will need to get to know my fiancé a little better."

"Fine."

"You will not," his voice was hushed, "let your father know about anything that we're planning."

Jasmine shrugged her shoulders. "What makes you think that I'm going to sabotage my chances of getting revenge on him?"

"Finally," both of Vanitas' arms locked around her waist and he pulled her to him, leaving no space whatsoever, "and you will act like my fiancé and stop resisting me."

Jasmine felt her skin crawl but she didn't let it show. "I knew that was coming."

"Those are the terms. If you agree to mine, I'll make sure that I follow yours. Do we have a deal?" Vanitas lowered his face to Jasmine's and kissed her cheek softly.

Everything that Jasmine had planned depended on how well the two of them worked together. As much as she hated him, Jasmine knew that without Vanitas, she would be living in a nightmare until she managed to graduate from high school.

"We have a deal," she whispered.

With a triumphant smirk, Vanitas pulled Jasmine into a kiss. Initially disgusted by the act (even though Vanitas was a good kisser) Jasmine returned it despite how much she despised him at the time.

After all, a couple needed to make compromises to survive. Right?


	44. Chapter 44: In Motion

**Author's Comments: **Well the year is finally over and that means updates will surely come sooner than not! I want to thank everyone like my readers, those who favorite and alert for their patience. I also want to thank my reviewers **animechick247, Xion's Person, Kanika Meskhenet, ventus4ever, ShatterTheHeavens, KittyFox1, Lazyxafternoons, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, **and **Frooky90. **You all are awesome!

It's funny. Either people seem to hate Vanitas and want him to burn, or they love him with Jasmine. I'll admit it, in a twisted sense I actually like Vanitas with Jasmine in a way. Strangely, I actually want to do a fanfiction with them as the major couple. But I need to finish all my other stories first.

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. It's not much but it will serve as a bridge to the next series of events. Tell me what you think and take care!

-Skye

* * *

Between emptying her locker and finishing off the rest of her tests for early exit, Jasmine was exhausted. Then again, she was always exhausted nowadays but even more so since she became Vanitas' fiancée. It wasn't like he was always calling her, taking her out (although they did that on a fairly regular basis) and visiting her at her home. The mental and emotional aspect of it was draining though.

However, just because they became engaged it didn't mean that Jasmine didn't need to get back to work. After all, with her absence from school and her job she had a lot of catching up to do.

Jasmine waited until she was sure Riku was at blitzball practice before coming to his house to speak to Angela. She wasn't ready to face him yet. After all, she didn't know how she'd react.

Would she be sad the next time they meet? Would she be angry? Would she act as if he didn't exist? Jasmine did not know so she thought it best that they didn't see each other at all.

Once she was inside, one of the maids led Jasmine to her office where the door was open. After the maid left, Jasmine meekly knocked on the door frame, causing Angela to look up from her reading.

"Jasmine!" Angela cried out in surprise.

The junior took slow steps as she walked into the office and closed the door. "Hi, Angela."

Angela sprinted over to Jasmine and embraced the young girl, her loose blond hair flinging behind her as she ran.

"Jasmine, are you alright? I heard you haven't been in school for days!" Angela was nearly in a panic when she spoke. Jasmine would miss being with Riku's family on a normal basis for pleasure other than business. They were truly kind people.

Angela led Jasmine to a couch underneath several of her awards.

Jasmine cleared her throat. "I've been better," she admitted. "But I'm trying to get better."

Angela stared at Jasmine. She remembered that day recently when Riku came home from school clearly as if it were a bad dream that kept replaying itself over and over again in her mind.

"_I'm positive," Riku's father said, "I'm going to use her for one of the trailers and shoot a music video that ties into it." They rested on the couch, Ryo placing his legs on top of Angela's._

_Angela didn't seem to be paying him any attention. "As long as it doesn't interfere with her new single," she reminded her husband._

_Ryo sighed and reached for his glass that sat on the coffee table. "You're so difficult to deal with, I swear."_

"_That's why you married me," Angela smiled, patting his knees. "I get to make you go the extra mile."_

_Her husband shook his head and looked up when he heard footsteps passing by. "Riku, you're home!" Ryo called._

_The footsteps immediately stopped and Riku froze in place. It appeared as though he was trying to go around the back way so that he could not be seen but today was not the case as both his parents seemed to want to branch out into other parts of the house._

"_How was your day?" Angela tossed the paperwork she had been previously holding aside. _

_Riku dropped his backpack beside the staircase and kept his back towards them. "Not one of my better days," he admitted. _

_Angela was alarmed. There wasn't a trace of emotion in his voice whatsoever. "What happened? Rough day at practice?"_

_Riku was silent for a good ten seconds._

"_Riku," his father began, removing his legs and standing up. He ran a hand through his short silver hair, "what's going on?"_

_Finally, Riku turned to face them but his eyes were exceptionally weary. To Angela's shock, there was a purple bruise on his jaw line. She rushed over to him and placed her hands along his chin, being ever so careful as to not touch the medium sized bruise. _

_Suddenly, she became angry. "Did you get into a fight with someone? Were you sent to the principal's office? Tell us what happened," she demanded. "Who did this to you?"_

_Regret and sorrow painted his face. "Faye did it this morning," he admitted sadly. _

_Angela and Ryo looked at each other in confusion. "Jasmine actually hit you?" She asked, examining the injury. Riku was a sturdy young man and it must have taken a lot of force to cause that much damage to his face. _

"_It's not swollen or anything," he grabbed his mother's hands before she attempted to lightly touch the bruise._

"_Does it hurt?" Ryo asked, examining it himself. _

_Riku shook his head. _

"_Well why did she hit you in the first place?" Angela asked. "Did you two get into a fight?"_

_Ryo then eyed his son carefully, a dangerous edge to his oceanic blue eyes. "Did you hit Jasmine?" He asked cautiously. _

_Riku stepped back. "Of course I didn't!" He shouted. "You know I wouldn't hit a girl!"_

"_Then what happened?" They both demanded._

_Riku stepped back. "She broke up with me, that's what happened."_

_Angela gasped. "Excuse me?"_

"_Yes," he said exasperatedly. "She came to school this morning, outed us as a couple to everyone and then punched me in the hall. I haven't seen her since. I think she went home."_

_Hearing the pain in Riku's voice pained Angela as well. _

"_It turns out that these girls decided to try and make it look like I cheated on her when I went to Ienzo's party and Faye flipped out. I tried to call her but I can't get through," Riku continued. "I don't know what to do." Riku pulled his hair off his face. "I'd never cheat on her."_

_Ryo was curious. "Why would those girls do something like that?"_

_Riku frowned. "One of them was my ex, Alex and the other is her friend Larxene. She's the most twisted, sadistic girl I've ever met. She hates Jasmine just because she doesn't have wealthy parents and because she isn't afraid of her. Trust me, Larxene would do anything to make anyone miserable, that includes Jasmine."_

_Angela thought of something. "Well if Jasmine knows that Larxene is out for her and you got her to admit the truth, then that means you can talk to Jasmine." She tried to think of something to make the situation easier. Angela knew how much Riku loved Jasmine and how much it would kill him if she left him. _

"_Faye told me not to go see them because she had a bad feeling about it. I didn't listen to her and now look what happened," Riku breathed tiredly. He walked away from his parents and trudged up the stairs._

Angela would never forget that look of defeat in Riku's eyes as long as she lived.

"But its okay," Jasmine forced a smile. "I'm ready to get back to work. I have so many new ideas for the album. I'm not saying they're brilliant, but they're ideas. It's a nice place to start."

"Jasmine, I know this is none of my business," she interrupted slowly, "but you and Riku need to sit down and talk."

Jasmine hid her irritation. She half expected Angela to bring up the subject of her broken relationship with Riku, but she did not come over to discuss that.

"Like I said," Angela began again, "I'm not going to ask for specifics or explicit details from you of what happened just yet, but I really think that you two should talk. It'll be good for the both of you."

Jasmine's eyes became harsh. "I can't do that."

Angela felt the air around Jasmine change. It was as if the girl had become cold and uncaring. "Jasmine," Angela confessed, glad that her son wasn't around to hear this, "Riku is absolutely miserable right now. He's not sleeping well, he's barely eating and he doesn't even really hang out with his friends anymore. You have to talk to him."

Jasmine's facial expression did not change. On the inside she was in an emotional tug of war. One part of her almost seemed pleased at this. If he thought he could make her suffer, then she was more than happy to hear of his own suffering. Still, a tiny part of Jasmine ached when she heard the news. The part of her that loved Riku would probably be a hindrance in the future if she ever wanted to work on a plan to take down her father. As for right now, it seemed as if Riku was on his own self-destructive path…if he really felt bad at all.

"I can't," Jasmine said once more.

Angela could have sworn that she saw a slight smirk on her face after she told Jasmine what Riku was going through.

Jasmine stood up. "There's just too much going on right now and I don't have that much time anymore," she told Angela.

"Time for what?" There was a hard edge in Jasmine's voice and her eyes were icy. She had never seen the girl this detached from her emotions ever. Could Riku have done more damage to Jasmine than she knew? Did something else happen on top of the break up? This did not seem like the sweet girl she had grown to love like her own son.

"Let's just say that a great deal of family business needs my attention," Jasmine attempted a smile, "but my father has given me freedom to stay with the label. I don't have to tip toe around him anymore."

"Jasmine that's great, really it is," Angela said, mind tuning in on the "family business" comment. As long as she knew Jasmine, she never knew her to be greatly involved with her family and for good reason. Angela hated the fact that her parents were never around in her life to take care of her like she should have been. "But please at least think about what I'm asking you." Angela watched Jasmine head for the door. "He still loves you."

Jasmine paused at this.

Angela waited for Jasmine to say something that she might be able to pass onto Riku to give him some hope.

"I'll call you later on," Jasmine said simply. "Tifa needs me home now. She wants me to rest. Thank you so much for everything."

Before Angela could say anything else, Jasmine was gone and shut the door behind her.

Jasmine leaned against the door for a moment. Why was her heart pounding at the mention of Riku's love for her? It shouldn't matter. They had broken up. Even worse, he cheated on her. None of this should have mattered to her.

She was mad that he still affected her in such a way. Love truly was a sickness.

With that, Jasmine headed down the long, winding stairs slowly. She'd miss this place for sure too.

"Faye?"

Jasmine froze just like her heartbeat. She was more than halfway down the stairs and gripped the rail.

Even now the sound of his voice could stop her dead in her tracks.

Against her better judgment, Jasmine glanced over her shoulder and spotted Riku at the far end of the hall past where Angela's office was. It looked like he had just come home from school. She remembered how every day after class he'd change into a pair of basketball shorts and a tank top. Jasmine cursed herself for remembering that now and admiring his body at a time like this.

But she wasted no time, nor allowed herself to get a full view of his face. Just by her stopping, that confirmed her identity. She knew that he was much too fast and that if she didn't make a break for it, he'd catch her for sure. Jasmine took off in a full on sprint and ran clear for the door, ducking and dodging around the maids and the furniture.

Jasmine heard his rapid footsteps behind her and her heartbeat quickened with a new type urgency she had never felt before.

"Faye! Stop!" Riku yelled behind her.

Jasmine got to the door and struggled to get it open. She should have known that it would have been locked behind her when she entered the house. Taking only a second to undo the locks, Jasmine flung the door open with enough force to possibly throw it off its hinges and dug in the pockets of her jeans for her car keys.

Unfortunately Jasmine remembered that she had parked her car off the premises just in case Riku came home early and that meant (if he was still chasing her) that Riku would have a greater chance of catching her on foot.

She reached the sidewalk and continued to run. Her car was in sight and she gripped the keys tight in her hand. Jasmine had no problem unlocking the car door from a distance and hopping in. She didn't even bother with putting her seatbelt on. All she knew was that she had to get far away from the area or else risking another breakdown.

Jasmine figured that she'd already had enough of those to last a lifetime.

* * *

Riku shut the door as soon as he heard Jasmine's car drive off. He closed his eyes in an attempt to block out what he had seen.

Jasmine was there. She was _physically_ in his house. And when she saw him she ran away.

Riku chased after her but even with his speed she had too great of an advantage over him, especially with the furniture in the way. By the time that he had gotten to the door, Riku knew that it was already too late. He would no longer pursue Jasmine.

Angela appeared at the top of the stairs, her usually kind eyes filled with sadness. She had seen the entire incident.

"She wouldn't even look at me," Riku muttered darkly to himself. He whipped around and punched the wall hard enough to cause a few cracks to form and stormed off back towards his bedroom. Once Riku was inside, he slammed the door and took a seat on the edge of his bed.

'I can't believe she actually ran away from me,' Riku took out his phone and set it on his bed, watching it and waiting for a call from Jasmine but knowing that he was just setting himself up for more disappointment. "She ran away as if she was scared of me."

Riku looked at his nightstand and picked up a photo. He smiled at the memory. It was when his parents took him and Jasmine to a beach on a Saturday morning. There, it was just the four of them laughing, joking and having a great time.

'She fits in so well with my family.'

The picture was of Riku and Jasmine walking along the coast. She had jumped on his back and he carried her. Riku them remembered that at the time she was laughing when the photo was taken.

Riku recalled that Jasmine rarely laughed but when she did it was the most beautiful sound in the world and in the picture, she looked absolutely radiant. It was almost as if the shot were taken straight from a magazine. In the picture Riku was laughing as well. Now for the life of him, he couldn't remember why they were laughing in the first place. All Riku knew was that she was smiling.

If Riku didn't do something soon, it would be the last smile she'd ever give him.

* * *

"What do you mean you're changing the song?" Demyx asked, clearly concerned over what the rising starlet had just said.

Jasmine set her purse down as she walked into Demyx's apartment. "I'm serious. I'm pushing that idea off to the side for now. I've got other things I want to work on."

Demyx closed the door behind Jasmine as she headed straight for his piano. "Whoa, who said you had the time? Or did you forget that you have school?"

"I took early exit exams. I couldn't be there another day."

The blond froze on the spot. "So you're not going back until fall?"

Jasmine nodded her head and took a seat at his white grand piano. She pulled her hair out of her face. "Yeah, so I have all the time in the world."

Demyx shrugged his shoulders. "Well, if that's what you want. Don't you think you'll miss your friends and boyfriend?"

Jasmine's jaw clenched and she lifted up the cover on the piano keys. "I broke up with Riku earlier in the week. I have no plans on seeing him for a long time."

"WHAT?" Demyx practically shouted this out. "Why? I thought things were going so well," he whined, seeming to be genuinely distressed over what was just said.

The raven haired teen muttered. "It was fine before he decided to cheat on me with two girls and make me feel like a fool."

Demyx jumped back. "No, there's no way he did that. Riku is crazy about you. I can't believe it."

She pressed lightly on a low B. "I even had pictures to prove it."

Demyx still wanted to think different. "Maybe something happened that you aren't aware of. Have you tried talking to him?"

Jasmine thought back to a few hours ago when she and Riku crossed paths and how she ran away from him. She hung her head low. "It's not like we can be together at this point anyway. Besides, I can't face him right now."

He waved his hands in the air. "You're gonna have to stop this. First off, I think you two need to talk. Something tells me there's more to that story than either of us are aware. Second, why can't you be together with him? Just make up."

"It's not that simple Demyx," Jasmine said tiredly.

"Of course it is. Just talk to him. I know you haven't fallen out of love with him."

Jasmine sighed heavily and raised her left hand to Demyx. The blond musician stared at the ring.

"Isn't this the ring Riku gave you?"

"No it's not," she answered plainly.

"Is it a promise ring from another guy?" Demyx's curiosity was definitely getting the better of him.

Jasmine then told him, "No, this is my engagement ring. I'm getting married in April."

Demyx then did something that Jasmine did not expect him to do: he laughed. He doubled over and fell to the floor, tearing up and gasping for breath as if it were the most hilarious thing he had ever heard. Y-Y-You are NOT—hahahaha—getting married! Stop playing around with me!" Demyx continued to laugh but Jasmine did not take in the humor.

She stood up and sat next to him on the floor cross legged and waited for him to stop his fit. No use trying to get him to listen in mid-hysteria.

He wiped a tear from his eye and sat up on his elbows. "Now what's really going on? I mean, if you have a new man its fine but I think you and Riku should still work things out."

Jasmine held up her hand with the most serious expression on her face. "I'm not kidding. I. Am. Engaged."

All the color and cheer drained from Demyx's face. "You are serious."

She nodded.

"To who? When did it happen?"

"It happened on the day Riku and I broke up. Like literally maybe an hour or two later. To one of my father's protégées," she answered. "All he wants is to screw my father over."

"And I'm assuming you're gonna stop it," Demyx leaned over, "right?"

Jasmine scoffed. "Hell no. I'm_ helping_ him. That's the only reason I agreed to the marriage in the first place other than the fact that my father threatened to make me break the contract. I don't love that guy. In fact," Jasmine looked off to the side, "I'm sure that once he got his way, he'd probably try to kill me or something like that. He can't be trusted. So he, my father and Riku are all on my list of men to take care of. Then when graduation rolls around they'll never see me again."

"So you're going through with the marriage?"

"No. Let's just say I'm working on a plan. Like I said, once I lose my usefulness, I'm sure my fiancée will try something. He says he likes me, but I have to be able to get away from him regardless."

"But Jasmine," Demyx began, concerned about the well being of his friend and fellow performer, "why does Riku have to suffer? I still don't believe everything is how it seems with him."

Jasmine frowned. "I don't think you understand how badly he embarrassed and hurt me. While I'm sure we'll probably end up meeting again because I work with his parents, I have nothing to say for him right now. Besides," she trailed off, "it's not like we can make up and get back together. I wish it were that simple but I'm engaged. It might be better if I disappeared for a while anyway."

"You don't love that other guy."

"Even so Demyx, I'm a woman of my word. I can't cheat on someone when I'm with them, no matter how much I wish I wasn't with them."

Demyx's expression saddened. He could see all the pain and heartbreak in her eyes. Demyx pulled her into a hug and the two of them sat there for the longest time, silence stronger than anything that could be said.

"So what next?" Demyx asked, pulling away.

"I'm going to have to say goodbye to everyone for a while. My fiancée Vanitas wants me to spend time with him at his home. My father jumped right on board. I'll still be on the island but I'll be over in Twilight Town and Hollow Bastion several days out of the week until the fall."

"Just promise me that you'll make sure you see me at LEAST once a week. I'm worried about you."

Jasmine kissed Demyx's cheek and hugged him once more. It felt good to have at least one person on the outside to be able to go to.

"Demyx, I'm not sure what I'll have to do to make this work. I'm not even sure I'll be the same person at the end of all this. Vanitas, my fiancée, is going to push me. I'll need you to remind me of who I really am so I don't lose myself."

"This fiancée of yours sounds like a real monster," Demyx commented grimly. "I want to meet him."

"He's quite the actor. He may seem like a shy, respectable man, but he's devious, cunning and does not care about others or what happens to him. Vanitas only cares about what will get him what he wants out of life. Right now, that's power."

Demyx rested his chin in the palm of his hand. "And I'm guess that he wants you as well. That's probably why he went behind your back and ran to your father to ask for permission, because he knew that if your father already made the arrangement that you would have no choice but to follow along with his plans."

"You're exactly right," Jasmine said. "I can't keep refusing him. I'll have to play the part of his loving fiancée. Then I can get what I want."

"Well," Demyx chuckled, "he's definitely going to have to watch out. Now that you're hot on his tail, I sense that Vanitas will get his just desserts sooner than he thinks."

"That's certainly the hope. If not, I'm afraid of what will happen to me in the end."


	45. Chapter 45: Stolen and Broken

**Author's Comments: **I promised you guys that I would try and get a new chapter out and here I am! First off, I see Riku has gotten a great deal of support. He deserves it. I reread the chapters and I was like "Okay the poor guy is seriously going through it". Remember the old days when it was Jasmine or Roxas? I actually sort of miss that.

This chapter is pretty heavy, even for me. The rating almost got ran up to an "M" but then again it's just one chapter.

I wanna thank all my readers, those who favorite and alert. I also wanna thank all my reviewers **animechick247, ShatterTheHeavens, Xion's Person, ventus4ever, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Kanika Meskhenet, KittyFox1, Lazyxafternoons **and **Frooky90.** Everyone who supports and reads this story is awesome!

Well here's the next chapter. Like I said, it's going to get really intense so please don't kill me. Oh, and I think I might just give every Vanitas hater more reason to hate him. That's a snippet.

Take care!

-Skye

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. I only own the OCs.

* * *

The faint smell of cinnamon took over her senses as she began to stir. This was not the scent of her room. No. The scent here was so much stronger. She sniffed once more, squeezing her eyes tighter despite the fact that there was no real light in the room.

There was another scent. This one was a familiar, spicy cologne. It wasn't as if there was anything wrong with the way it smelled. On the contrary, she found it highly attractive. Dark, alluring, but not too overbearing; however if it were on another person it would have indulged in it a little more.

Jasmine's hazel eyes creaked open. All around her was a sea of red. At first she was a bit startled, but then she calmed down immensely. There was no reason for her to panic. She knew exactly where she was.

She sat up in her bed and adjusted the black, loose-fitting nightgown that always seemed to hang off her shoulders. Looking down at the scarlet comforter, she gripped tightly onto it.

"Good morning, my dearest," Vanitas greeted sweetly, sitting in an intricately carved chair at a black, wooden desk in the corner of the room.

Jasmine sighed. She was back at Vanitas' house in Twilight Town. He had given Jasmine her own bedroom across from his for her to use. She was still shocked that her parents had actually allowed her to live in his house. All the years she had known her mother, Sofia had always preached that living with a man who wasn't bonded by marriage was unacceptable. Vanitas must have somehow charmed her mother into forgetting all her earlier teachings.

Jasmine secretly wished she had Vanitas' power of persuasion.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked, standing up.

Jasmine brushed her hair out of her face. She almost sat on her hair at this point. It was about time she had it cut. But for some reason, Vanitas had asked her mother if she could keep it long because he liked it. Out of spite, Jasmine almost took a pair of scissors and chopped her hair up to her chin. But she also had to think of her image. Angela would probably grill her about the decision.

"Somewhat," Jasmine replied. 'There's too much red and black in this room,' she thought. 'The room just oozes anger, lust, passion, all the feelings I don't really feel towards Vanitas.'

Even in his home, early in the morning, Vanitas was dressed well in a dark, v-neck t-shirt and jeans. Vanitas rose from the seat and sat next to Jasmine on her bed.

"What would you like to do today?" He asked, fingers tangling themselves in Jasmine's long hair.

After over three months of being engaged to Vanitas, Jasmine still was not used to him being this close and intimate with her. It didn't feel right. He had kept up with his end of the bargain and had not laid a hand on her which she was thankful for. Deep down, she was still wary of him.

"Don't you have to be with my father today?" She asked. "Aren't you supposed to be going over business for the wedding?"

Vanitas smirked. "I've already taken care of that. I cleared the day so we could spend some time together picking out a venue."

Jasmine did not respond. Having to be reminded of her wedding on a regular basis was something she dreaded. Most girls dream of the day they can walk down the aisle but for Jasmine, this was still a never-ending nightmare she couldn't seem to wake up from.

"It's strange," Vanitas began, removing his hand from her hair and gently grabbing her face. "Usually it's the bride who wants to get a jump on something as important as her wedding."

She fought the urge to bite him. "I'm tired. I've been in the studio for days. Pardon me for not being ecstatic."

Vanitas detected the sarcasm in her voice and frowned. "Jasmine, its late August. If you still hadn't figured it out yet, you and I are getting married. There is no way around it. So you should snap out of this attitude of yours."

Jasmine closed her eyes. Living with Vanitas for half of her summer dwindled her patience down to virtually nothing. Even despite her agreeing to marry him, Jasmine could not find it in herself to fully play the part of a loving fiancée.

Vanitas crawled on his knees over to Jasmine while she had her back to him. He wrapped his arms around her midsection and squeezed her body to his so tight there was no room between their bodies.

"I do so much for you," Vanitas whispered, a slight cool edge in his voice, "I moved you into my home and I keep your father from interfering in your life. The least you could do is show me some respect."

"Vanitas, I have shown you nothing but respect, even with all that you have done to me. You're my fiancée and I have kept up my end of the deal as well. Do not try to damage my name. I've lived up to what you've asked."

Vanitas moved some of her hair out of his way, exposing her neck and her free shoulder. "Then why do you still resist me?" He began to kiss her soft skin, causing Jasmine to tense up.

Despite her feelings of hate for the man, Jasmine could not deny the fact she was somewhat attracted to him even though she knew she shouldn't be. "I never turn away from you."

Vanitas slipped his hands under her nightshirt, causing Jasmine to tense up even more. "You're freaking out. I can sense it." He turned Jasmine around, sat cross-legged on the bed and sat her in his lap. "See, even now you're doing it."

Jasmine quickly changed the subject and rested her hands on his chest. "So what is going on with my father now? I hear he's investing in some new companies. It's pretty risky of him to do so without any assurance that those companies will last."

"I've even taken part in investing in some of them myself. If there's one thing I know," Vanitas kissed her neck, "its business. I have a feeling that one in particular will make me richer than ever."

"If it's what you want, do it. Keep in mind that when we're married, it'll be my name attached as well. Don't screw this up, Vanitas," she warned.

Vanitas grinned and laid her flat on her back, hovering over her and pinning her hands to her sides. Now, Jasmine had no trace of fear on her face. "Don't forget that this is me you're talking to. I never make mistakes."

'His arrogance will be his downfall,' Jasmine thought wickedly. "Make sure of it."

"I will. Tonight after we look at more venues, I'll have a talk with him on the phone."

Jasmine found it a bit strange at how easily it was for her to improve Vanitas' mood. As long as she kept him in an intimate setting, she found that he was much more willing to listen to her and actually go along with what she said. But she was going to use it to her advantage without pushing the limits. She never wanted to not have control where he could overpower her.

She pulled him down by his shirt so that there was only an inch between their faces. "Good, that's what I like to hear." Jasmine swallowed her pride and kissed Vanitas with all the emotion she could muster that did not include anger or hatred. As usual, Vanitas was aggressive with her. He never gave her time to properly breathe, his hands were everywhere (within reason) and he kept her pinned underneath him to keep her still as if she were going to make a run for it.

"You see," she told him breathlessly, "I can be the affectionate wife you want me to be."

Vanitas' eyes roamed her body. He could not deny how much it excited him when he was able to get her alone like this. Her kisses were so rare and teasing like a forbidden treasure he was not supposed to have. However, that only made him want her more.

He nibbled on her neck and his free hand ran along her knee up to the halfway point of her thigh. "You're such a tease. You know I want so much _more_."

That was something else Jasmine had going for her. She knew that Vanitas _wanted_ her. Regardless to how monstrous he could be at times, he was still a man.

"And when we're married," Jasmine decided to play along and slipped a hand underneath his shirt, running her fingers all along his well toned chest, eventually to his hardened abdomen, "we can do what you want. Keep in mind I'm still not eighteen yet."

"We're engaged," Vanitas argued. "I don't want to wait."

Jasmine pushed him up and away. Things were getting too hot and heavy for her. "This gives you something to look forward to. Consider it my present to you."

Vanitas stared at his fiancée for a long time without saying anything. "This conversation is not over."

"Sounds like it is," she said smugly. Once Vanitas was off the bed, Jasmine tossed aside the covers. "Let me get dressed. The sooner we leave the better."

"I'll wait for you in the kitchen," Vanitas said, closing the door behind him as he left.

Once she was sure he was gone, Jasmine reached under her bed and pulled out a bottle of clear alcohol and a shot glass. She poured herself a shot, downed the contents quickly and placed it back under her bed.

Every time Vanitas touched her, Jasmine wanted to cry. Even after all this time, there was only one person who knew how to hold her right. With Vanitas, she did not fit in his arms. He did not keep her warm and he certainly did not make her feel safe and secure. Only one man could do all that and so much more.

'He's no longer a part of my life,' Jasmine thought sadly. Still to this day, the pain of finding the photos still shook her. The pain was becoming duller with each and every new day, but still she could not forget about him.

Part of Jasmine did not want to forget about him, because part of her still loved him.

* * *

"What do you want for your birthday, Riku?" Sora asked the soon to be eighteen year old as he and Kairi relaxed on his bed.

Riku ran a hand through his longer silver hair. He absently typed away on his laptop. "I don't need anything," he responded in a monotone fashion.

Kairi sat on her knees. "Come on, Riku. We're trying to have a small party. We just want to know what you'd like."

Riku offered Kairi a small, rueful smile. "If either of you get me something, I'm sure I'd like it either way."

Suddenly, Angela's voice rang out. "Riku!" She yelled from down the hall. "Come outside! Your father needs you!"

The older teen excused himself and closed the door behind him, giving Sora and Kairi privacy.

"Sora," Kairi's eyes hinted at worry, "it's been almost four months since he and Jasmine broke up and he's still a wreck."

Sora sighed. "I know. He wasn't even at his best in blitzball. I mean," he threw his arms out, "he was good but there was nothing there."

"Riku still loves her," Kairi concluded. "There's no doubt about it. But none of us have seen her in months. Riku's mom says that she usually jumps back and forth from islands between work and family. Even if she was here, she'd be too busy to actually visit."

Sora flopped back on the bed. "I'm mad that they still haven't talked about what happened. If she knew what happened with Larxene, I'm sure she'd forgive him. All they need is some time alone."

After a brief pause, Kairi's eyes lit up. "Sora! We should try to get Jasmine to come to his party!"

"Don't you think that would be a bit awkward?" Sora asked, showing interest in idea while initially skeptical. "I mean, things didn't exactly end well. A public place might not be the best place for them to talk."

Kairi grabbed his shoulder. "But seeing Jasmine might actually help! I'm sure she's cooled off after all this time. She's not someone to hold a grudge. I'm sure she'll want to talk to him."

Sora would love to see Jasmine. It had been months since any of them had seen her. They'd heard from Tifa that she took early exit from school so she missed a great deal. He missed his friend. But Riku was the one he was worried about the most. Regardless to how he felt, he wanted to make sure that Riku had a smooth birthday.

"Keep in mind that she's always working," Sora reminded Kairi.

"We can ask Riku's mom to bring her over. I'm sure it would mean the world to Riku just to see her," Kairi pleaded.

Sora breathed out. There was a great chance that this could go horribly wrong. But then again, there was a slight chance that things might actually get sorted out. No one would know unless they tried.

"We'll have to be careful about this," Sora said finally.

Kairi squealed and wrapped her arms around Sora. "Thank you, Sora! You should call her tonight. After all, the party is this weekend."

"Me? Why me?" Sora asked.

"Because you're like the brother she never had. If you ask her, Jasmine might actually say yes. Duh."

Sora gulped. "I should have known better."

Kairi leaned down and kissed his head. "Yup. But it's okay. Only you can get away with certain things."

The prospect of trying to invite Jasmine to her ex's birthday party frightened him. "Let's hope that still sticks after all this time."

* * *

The wedding planner walked Jasmine and Vanitas through the third venue. They acted the part of a married couple and were practically glued at the hip. With time, Jasmine eventually grew out of the initial disgust with Vanitas touching her.

"And we can have pillars along the isle with gorgeous yellow and red roses," the planner droned on excitedly. "To add more drama to the mix, we can have crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling with accents of red and gold crystals."

"You can do that?" Jasmine asked. "Won't that be expensive to create all new chandeliers for our wedding?"

Vanitas laughed. "It's fine. We have several months to prepare for the wedding and," he kissed her softly on the cheek, "if you want it, I'll make it happen."

The planner blushed and squealed to herself. "You two are the most adorable couple I've ever seen."

'If he weren't some deranged maniac with an abusive streak, I might actually fall for it too,' Jasmine thought harshly.

Vanitas then said, "Just make sure that you keep with the confidentiality agreement. We don't want the media swarming over our wedding. I don't want anything to ruin the big day."

"I'll make sure it doesn't happen," she said, jotting down several notes.

"After all," Jasmine said under her breath, "don't want anyone to know you're marrying someone who's not legal."

"What was that?" Vanitas asked, clearly not hearing her.

Jasmine smiled coyly. "Nothing, _my love,_" She drawled out.

"Vanitas," the planner called, "I have something important to ask of you."

The young man excused himself. "I'll be right back."

Once he was gone, Jasmine's phone rang. She fished it out of the pocket of her pants and frowned. It wasn't the same phone she had when she first started school. Vanitas took it upon himself to surprise her with a new one and had changed out the SIM card. Unfortunately, the contacts did not transfer over and so the person calling her was from a number she did not recognize.

"Hello?" she greeted politely. "Who is this?"

"Hey Jasmine! It's me, Sora!" He answered.

Jasmine broke out into a smile. She hadn't heard from Sora in well over a month. Truth be told, he was one of the people she missed most of all.

"How are you? It's been a while." Jasmine excused herself and stood at the back of the enormous room where the wedding ceremony was to take place.

"I know, right? How are you?"

Jasmine rolled her eyes. 'Well I'm about to get married to some psychopath, my father won't stop till I'm six feet under, and I'm still in love with your best friend who I still kind of hate.' She thought sadly. "I'm alright."

"Are you busy? I know you're always on the move nowadays," Sora asked softly.

She looked up. Vanitas was deep in conversation with the planner. "No I have a couple of minutes. Why, what's up? What do you need?"

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line. "When are you coming back to the island? We all kind of miss you."

"Within the next two weekends," she answered automatically. "I have to finish up a single."

"Great…well, umm…." Sora was tripping over his words. "What about this weekend? Are you free then?"

Instantly, Jasmine realized what weekend it was. "I am," she said flatly.

Sora laughed nervously. "So I guess you already know what I'm about to ask…"

"We were together for almost a month," Jasmine whispered. "I know when his birthday is."

Sora was caught off guard by the coldness of her voice. It was almost as if he was talking to a completely different person. "It would just be a nice if everyone could see you." He then added, "And not on a television interview."

That hit Jasmine hard. It wasn't as if everyone in the group had wrecked her life. It was just Riku. She should not have distanced herself from her true friends. After all, they were supposed to be heading back to school soon. It would have been better to just ease into coming back. Besides, she was going to have to tell them about the wedding sooner or later. After all, she was going to ask Kairi, Naminé and Selphie to take part in it with Naminé being the maid of honor.

"When and where?" Jasmine asked, sighing heavily as she did so. This was going to be awkward.

"You're coming?" Sora asked, clearly surprised by how easy it was for Jasmine to agree.

"Just give me the specifics and I'll try to show up," Jasmine told him.

"I'll send it to you in a text. Thank you so much Jasmine! I'm sure Riku will be happy to see you."

Jasmine rolled her eyes and stared at her manicured, black nails. "I'm not doing this for Riku. I'm doing this because I've been a poor friend. I won't cause any problems. I swear."

"That works for me! Take care, Jaz. Later!"

Jasmine hung up after that, angry at herself for even agreeing to such a thing. She hadn't seen Riku in months for a good reason. She did not want to open up old wounds. Now she was walking straight into a one way street for hurt.

"Who was that?" Vanitas asked, walking over to her.

"A friend. There's a birthday party coming up and he asked me to stop by," Jasmine answered.

Vanitas studied her face carefully. "It's a 'he'?"

"Calm down," Jasmine told him sternly. "He's a friend from high school, about a year younger than me. I just want to stop by and make an appearance since I pretty much left before the year was over."

"When is it?" Vanitas placed a hand on her shoulder and led her out of the hall, following several paces behind the planner.

"Next weekend."

"We're having a meeting for the caterer that day," Vanitas reminded her. "We need to pick out the menu."

Jasmine mentally cursed. She knew she was forgetting something. "I'll make sure I go before our event. It won't take more than five minutes. I promise."

Vanitas kissed her cheek. "I certainly hope so."

* * *

Sora and Kairi waited for Jasmine on the outside of the restaurant, hand in hand.

"I can't believe you actually got her to come," Kairi said smiling.

"Well you know me," the brown-haired boy said with a cheesy grin, "when the time calls, I usually can make stuff happen."

Kairi laughed, pulling a tendril of red hair over her ear. "It helps that Jasmine also said yes because I'm sure you guilt-tripped her."

"It certainly helped."

The two laughed softly. Kairi glanced over her shoulder. "I didn't tell anyone that Jasmine was coming. I figured it shouldn't be an event."

Sora scoffed. "I think it would have been an event if you told people or not. I'm sure you remember how she left the school—punching out a blitzball player in the middle of a hall and throwing down some raunchy photos. Trust me, this will either go well, or horribly wrong."

Kairi then squeezed Sora's hand tighter and smiled, pointing to the front. Sora's eyes widened and the two of them came running up to the familiar, raven-haired singer they hadn't seen in months.

Jasmine brushed off her knee-length, fitted, high waist, black pencil skirt and tucked her necklace inside her sleeveless crimson blouse. She couldn't help but give a half smile at seeing her old friends. Jasmine ran, despite her towering black platform pumps and embraced the two underclassmen.

"It's good to see you guys," she said sincerely, pulling back.

When Kairi broke away from Jasmine, she noticed that Jasmine seemed a bit different. Not just her fashion (although in all the time she had known her, Jasmine never wore red) and dark make up around her eyes, but her overall aura. There was something about Jasmine that seemed a bit…darker and colder. Still, it was nice to see her.

Sora looked over Jasmine's shoulder. "Did you drive?"

"No," Jasmine answered emotionlessly, sliding her glasses on her face. She held a long, rectangular blue box with a yellow ribbon on it. "I had a ride. But I can't stay more than five minutes. I have something else after."

Kairi's smile shrunk. "That's okay," she linked arms with Jasmine and led her up the stairs into the restaurant. "I'm just glad you came."

"Me too." Sora then asked, "When are you coming out with a single?"

"In the next couple of weeks," she answered, taking in all the scenery and trying to calm her nerves. 'Relax. You're not walking down the aisle yet. You're just giving Riku a present. It doesn't mean anything. Only five minutes, you can manage that…' She told herself. Jasmine's arm slid from Kairi's as they approached a blocked off room which she assumed was where the party was to be held.

"What's it called?" Kairi inquired.

"It's called Labyrinth. It's tied into the album's theme. I can't give you anymore than that though."

"And what does it sound like?"

Jasmine pursed her lips. "In a word…chaotic."

Sora and Kairi went on ahead with the latter saying, "Hold on. Let me just let everyone know you're here." They disappeared behind the doors, leaving Jasmine to thoughts and erratic heartbeat.

The redhead ducked and dodged between their friends and parents in the open eating area. Many of the guests were standing and eating finger food before the actual meal took place. Kairi spotted Riku speaking to Tidus and tapped him on the shoulder.

"What's up, Kairi?" Riku asked, a slight smile on his face.

"We have another guest waiting for you," she said, secretly hoping that this would all go well.

"Really? Who? I thought this was just for friends and family…" Riku trailed off, clearly not knowing what was going on.

Kairi grabbed Riku's hand and pointed to the doors. Sora nodded and opened them, the guest walking in and causing the entire room to go silent.

Riku's eyes widened at the sight of Jasmine. Even in just this short amount of time, she had changed a bit. He instantly had a flashback to the first time he met her. She was just a young girl back then. Innocent, yet irritated expression on her face, youthful features, demure fashion sense reminiscent of a tomboy, with a strong personality hidden behind those hazel colored eyes.

She was so different now. Jasmine was taller and more mature looking in the face with some of her youthful features remaining despite the dark make up around her eyes. Whether it was because of her school uniform hiding it, her body had matured as well into that of a woman. Riku was stunned. She was here with him on his birthday.

Jasmine had to hold herself together. Riku was much more handsome than she remembered. He was definitely taller, despite the fact that she was wearing heels, was more muscular and he had allowed his hair to grow a bit longer. Her hand trembled at the sight of him. After all this time, it seemed as though he could still cause her heart to race dangerously.

She stepped to Riku, leaving a few feet of space between them. "Happy Birthday, Riku," she said, offering a small smile.

Riku noticed that her eyes were cold as she spoke and that she had a different aura around her. Perhaps it was because she didn't know what to make of the situation. Maybe it was because she didn't want to see him in the first place.

Either way, that didn't stop Riku from hugging Jasmine where she stood. "I'm so glad you're here," he whispered into her ear.

Jasmine froze. Part of her wanted to push him away, the other more dominant part of her wanted to embrace him. However, the small part of Jasmine that did not know what to do, simply stood there with her arms to her sides.

When Riku pulled back, he noticed that she smelled different. It wasn't perfume. No. It was cologne. Riku frowned. She had been with a man.

Jasmine held out the box for him. "I hope you like it."

Riku stared at the box. It was interesting how she remembered how yellow and blue were his favorite colors and took the time out for those little details. He smiled a little at the thought. She always paid attention to detail.

"It's good to see you," Riku said, trying to keep himself from sounding too stunned. "I had no idea you were coming."

"Sora called me." Jasmine held up a new phone. "I lost everyone's contacts a while ago."

Angela and her husband walked over to Jasmine, smiles painted on their faces. "It's so wonderful for you to help us celebrate Riku's birthday," Ryo said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

Tidus grinned as well. "Now the party can really get started! We have the whole group back together now."

Jasmine's smile faded away, a blank, stoic expression now taking over. "I can't stay. I actually have to leave."

Selphie moaned. "Oh but you just got here."

"I only had five minutes," Jasmine explained. "I just wanted to drop off Riku's present. But I'm sure we'll all be able to talk once the school year begins."

Angela protested. "I'm sure a few more minutes wouldn't hurt." She looked to her son. "I'm sure you two have a lot of catching up to do."

Riku gently grabbed Jasmine's elbow. "I need to speak to you. It's important."

Jasmine's tone took an icy edge. "I can't stay. I'm serious."

Riku leaned forward to Jasmine's ear. "Please," he pleaded softly. "Just a couple of minutes."

"Riku," Jasmine stepped away from Riku and glanced at her wristwatch. "I'm serious. I don't have the time." She began to back away towards the door, keeping her eyes off him as she did so. "Perhaps another day…"

The door creaked open slowly and Jasmine turned around, horror painting her face. Vanitas was now making his way over to the middle of the room, taking confident strides over to the young girl. All eyes were now diverted over to the attractive and unknown young man who and the little bit of chatter was now on who he was and his identity.

"Jasmine," Vanitas began slowly, "we have to go. We have another engagement."

Sora, who was talking to Kairi and had his back to them, turned around and gazed at the dark-haired man.

"Vanitas," Sora spoke, eyes wide with shock, "Is that you?"

Vanitas turned around, a smirk in his eyes paired with a charming smile. "Sora, it's good to see you. It's been years."

Jasmine looked from Sora to Vanitas. The resemblance was almost disturbing.

Vanitas slipped an arm around Jasmine's waist. "I'm sorry, but we've got to get going."

Riku glared at the one named Vanitas. Ignoring the fact that he had his arm around Jasmine, there was something almost evil about the young man.

"What are you doing here? I didn't know you were in town," Sora stated cautiously.

"I have an apartment here. I've graduated recently so I make my way back and forth between islands on a regular basis."

"Why? For what reason?"

Vanitas' hand tightened around Jasmine's waist. "For her," he answered smugly. He then whispered to Jasmine, "These are your friends. I'd say we tell them."

"No," Jasmine whispered back, clearly in a panic. "Not now," she hissed.

Still, Vanitas did not listen. "Nonsense," Vanitas grinned arrogantly. "You're gonna have a new addition to the family, Sora."

Jasmine gasped. She should have caught the relation immediately. Of course! Sora and Vanitas were cousins. There was no other way to describe the resemblance other than brotherhood. But Vanitas' parents were dead. First cousins perhaps?

"What do you mean?" Sora asked, clearly confused.

Vanitas took Jasmine's left hand and showed her engagement ring off to everyone in the room. "Jasmine and I are getting married in April of next year after her birthday. The date is set. I hope you all can come."

As the room erupted in gasps, Jasmine felt her heart stop. She could not breathe. 'This can't be happening,' she thought, trying her hardest to regain her breath but failing miserably.

Roxas stepped forward and locked eyes with Jasmine. "You're not really getting married, are you?"

Kairi looked to Riku. His face was a mixture of shock, rage, and heartbreak all rolled up into one. She instinctively grabbed his arm. "This is a joke, right Jasmine? It's not true, right?"

Jasmine felt herself teetering on her feet when she caught sight of Riku's face. In order to save herself, she quickly turned to Sora. "Looks like you're going to have a new cousin. We are getting married."

Angela, clearly having had enough, took Jasmine's hand. "You're too young to get married! Your parents are _allowing_ this?"

Jasmine nodded. "My father co-signed it before May. We're off to select the menu now."

Vanitas smiled kindly at everyone. "I know we're young. But I'll be able to take care of her. I promise."

Jasmine pulled away from Angela and whipped around to face Vanitas, eyes blazing with anger. "Let's go, _now_."

"If you wish," Vanitas kissed Jasmine's cheek and led her away from the group. "It was nice meeting you all." He tapped Sora's shoulder as he passed him by. "See you later, little cousin." They left through the double doors, silence following suit afterwards.

Riku nearly exploded. "This is bull," he grumbled, tearing away from Kairi and storming out through another set of doors. His parents and Kairi chased after him while Roxas made his way over to Sora.

"Is that really your cousin?" Roxas demanded. "How old is he?"

Sora nodded grimly. "Yeah, Vanitas is my first cousin. He's twenty two. My aunt and uncle who raised him died a while ago and he's been pretty much raising himself. My folks tried raising him but…" Sora's voice lowered as did his gaze, "he was so difficult. Something wasn't right with him."

"Like what?" Roxas inquired, not liking where this was going.

"He would always try to beat me up and he wouldn't stop no matter how much it hurt me. He was…violent back then and manipulative."

"Has that changed over the years?" Roxas asked, clearly concerned for Jasmine's well-being.

Sora shook his head. "I doubt it. If anything, Vanitas is a lot worse. And he's practically a genius. He's probably almost as smart as Jasmine."

"And she's marrying someone like THAT?"

Sora waved his hands out. "I know, I know!" He looked to his parents who seemed equally distraught. "We'll get to the bottom of this. I'll text you later."

Roxas watched Sora disappear back where Riku was and his expression saddened. 'Some birthday present…'

* * *

As soon as Jasmine and Vanitas were out of the establishment, Jasmine broke away from him.

"Have you lost your damn mind?" She shouted.

"What?" Vanitas asked coyly.

She pointed a finger accusingly in his face. "I told you I wanted to wait to tell them. At least a few more months, Vanitas! Why would you do that?"

Vanitas shrugged his shoulders. "The longer you wait, the worse it ends up being for you."

Jasmine's hands were locked around the roots of her hair. Having to imagine the pained look in Riku's eyes in addition to having him openly announce their wedding nearly caused Jasmine to faint. She felt her world spiraling around her and there was no sign of it stopping.

"What are they going to think, huh? I'm seventeen and I'm getting married!"

Vanitas reached for Jasmine and pulled her to him by her elbows. "I think everyone knows you're not going to allow yourself to get knocked up if that's what you're worried about." He frowned. "You're definitely not giving it up to me anyway."

Jasmine's lips trembled. Deep down Jasmine had a feeling that Vanitas knew what he had done and wanted to draw a reaction from her. How could she forget? He loved to inflict pain on others and took a sick joy out of it. Fiancée or not, Jasmine was still fair game for abuse.

"And I know you and Roxas, the blond boy, were dating in the past," Vanitas deadpanned.

For the second time today, Jasmine's heart stopped.

"One of my aunts knows his mother and they talked about a girl named Jasmine who he really liked, and how she broke up with him around winter. What a shame you hurt him right before Christmas…but then again," Vanitas chuckled darkly, "you are a little heartbreaker."

Jasmine fought the urge to cry. It seemed as though his cruelty knew no end. "What do you want from me?" Jasmine asked quietly.

"Relax," Vanitas said slowly, cooing softly, "I'm not going to tell your father."

"This is too easy, what do you want from me?"

Vanitas stared at Jasmine and then pulled her to his car. Once they were both safely inside, he took off in the direction towards his apartment on the island. Jasmine remained silent for the entire ride, wondering what in the world Vanitas could want.

After a painfully long ride, they both made it to his apartment complex and walked casually up to the elevator until they reached his floor. Vanitas held Jasmine's hand and tugged her along to his room. Once inside, he opened the door and shrugged out of his jacket.

"Lock the door behind you," he instructed. "We need to talk about this. The caterer can wait."

Jasmine obediently did as she was told, hands shaking as she turned the lock. A shadow cast over her as she finished clicking everything shut and as she turned around, she found herself pinned to the door by Vanitas' hands.

"Now it seems to me as though you haven't been completely honest," Vanitas stated. "As my wife, I expect nothing but the truth from you. And it really infuriates me knowing that some other guy has laid his hands on you."

Jasmine bit her lip. She was trapped and she knew it. "We never did anything, Vanitas. I swear."

"Now this can either go one of two ways," Vanitas' voice was low, "either I tell your father that you had cheated on me—and knowing your track record he'll most likely believe me over you any day. At that point you'll be sent to boarding school."

"I did not cheat on you," Jasmine said fiercely. "Roxas and I are over. I don't want to see him again."

"And option two," Vanitas pressed his body even tighter to Jasmine's and then said in her ear, "you give me what I've been asking for and I'll never snoop into your business again." Vanitas gently nibbled her earlobe, all the way down her neck to her shoulders.

Jasmine put her hands on his shoulders in an attempt to put some distance between them. "You can't…" she said meekly.

"Then it's off to boarding school for you," he laughed viciously.

There was no way for her to win in this situation. The only thing going for her was that if she agreed, she'd stay on the island and could keep close to Tifa and her friends. But even at that price? Her pride? Her dignity?

Jasmine remembered exactly what she had told herself from day one of her engagement. She would do what it took to survive and keep to her plan. If she didn't keep to it, then everything would have been for naught and she could kiss her freedom goodbye. It was all about survival.

She took Vanitas' face in her hands, ignoring the stinging of tears threatening to spill from her eyes and kissed his with everything she had. Vanitas smiled into the kiss and began to lift her skirt up. With her legs free, he lifted her up, latching her legs around his torso and led her to the back, shutting the door behind him and locking it tightly.

* * *

Jasmine opened her eyes finally and found herself engulfed in darkness. It was not the darkness of her own bedroom back home in Tifa's house or the darkness of the bedroom she had back on Twilight Town. It was the darkness of Vanitas' bedroom back on the island.

She shivered and looked over the side of the bed. It was nearly one o'clock in the morning and all her clothes lay discarded on the floor with her undergarments. She was completely naked save for the silk, scarlet sheet covering her body and wrapped it tightly around her.

Her breathing was heavy she could feel her sweat clinging to her body. The truly horrifying part about it was the fact that it wasn't just hers.

It was Vanitas' sweat as well.

The twenty two year old was wrapped in the comforter and stared at her, sweat dripping down the side of his face. He was panting as well, his eyes staring at her body with lust filled to it's depths.

"You really are beautiful," He whispered, scanning over her once more, taking in the memory and finally understanding every intricate curve of her body.

Jasmine's body ached terribly and her heart pounded against her chest. She was sure that she'd be sore the next day and that there would be a few bruises as well all along her legs.

Vanitas crawled back into bed with Jasmine and wrapped his arms around her frame, right under her breasts. He buried his head into her hair and kissed her shoulder. "I'm shocked that I'm your first. Most girls can't keep up multiple times on the first try. I knew I was right in picking you." He turned her body over so that she was now facing him.

Jasmine's eyes were completely dead, no expression visible in her face.

"I'll see you in the morning," Vanitas said softly. Within minutes, Vanitas was sound asleep.

Jasmine felt completely dehumanized at this point. Vanitas had taken the one thing most sacred and special to her and there was no way of getting it back. Her pride, self-respect, dignity, and now her virginity was gone and now rested with Vanitas who seemed to enjoy every moment of the act, despite her moans and cries of pain throughout it all.

She bit her lips to hold back her whimpering. She would never be the same again.

This man, the one laying in bed with her, who had stolen which should have gone to the one she loved, was evil. Jasmine had no question about it. All of this because she had been involved with Roxas; but then again Vanitas had been wanting it for months. Now he had the perfect blackmail to get it without her putting up much of a fight.

Jasmine breathed heavily, feeling rage well up within her that she had never known before. How easily it could have been for her to smother him in his sleep, or take the scissors she knew he had in his nightstand drawer and finish him off then and there. But where would she be then? It would have been murder. Although Jasmine would do anything to assure her survival, she would not resort to taking a life.

An image of Riku flashed into Jasmine's mind. His hugs were perfect. His kisses were soft or passionate depending on her mood. He never pressured her into anything she did not want to do. He would have been willing to wait for her to say yes. He would not have stolen_ it _as heartlessly as the man in bed with her did.

But he was no longer hers. Clearly he had gone on about his life and so should she.

Vanitas and her father would pay dearly for the humiliation and pain inflicted upon her. Jasmine would make sure of it with her last breath.

However, Jasmine would not go about this further. She had to rest and gain back her strength for the fight ahead. Vanitas had just given her all the reason to be just as cold and heartless as he was and she would make sure that he felt that same pain.

"_I love you, Faye." _Riku's voice echoed in her head.

She allowed a single tear to fall from her eyes and she uttered his name once, allowing silence to lull her into a heavy, sound sleep.


	46. Chapter 46: Too Late for the Truth

**Author's Comments: **Yeah, it happened last chapter. To be honest I was really worried about putting up a chapter like that because I didn't know how everyone would take it. But in all honesty, for the story to progress in the way I want and for the character development it was an important scene. Now everyone can see what kind of person Vanitas is and what Jasmine might end up becoming at the end of everything. Like I said earlier, I would LOVE for them to be an actual pairing (and if you look at my story _The Other Side of Sanity_ they are...somewhat romantically involved) but in this story they're at war. It was really funny and somewhat depressing reading all the reviews and looking at the emails. I got a lot of freak outs, some said they cried, others are up in arms. But I'm glad everyone is getting into the story :)

I want to thank the readers, those who favorite, those who alert. I also want to give a shout out to my reviewers **Clumsy Clouds, animechick247, Angie-ange, ShatterTheHeavens, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, ventus4ever, Kanika Meskhenet, **and **Lazyxafternoons. **You guys are awesome! Anyway, tell me what you guys think of this next chapter. Take care and happy reading!

-Skye

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. I only own the OCs.

* * *

Jasmine sat up, allowing the light from Vanitas' drawn curtain to hit her face. She wrapped the sheet around her bare body and sighed.

"Why are you leaving this time?" Vanitas asked sleepily, trying to pull her back into the bed. Like her, the only thing covering his body was a scarlet-colored sheet. "Stay here." He sat up and kissed her back, hoping to convince her to remain in the bed with him.

She smirked inwardly. 'He's starting to slip.' Jasmine pulled away from Vanitas, taking a sheet with her.

"I have school and I can't miss the first day," she told him tiredly, searching her tote bag for her school uniform.

Vanitas sat up and watched as she threw on a red, flowing, oversized silk bathrobe, admiring her body as she did so. "Knowing you, I'm sure you could catch up easily. You know that the first day is orientation. There's no real reason for you to have to go. All I have to do is make a call."

Jasmine rolled her eyes. He was such a pig.

"Keep in mind I'm trying to get into college. Unlike you, I'm not done with school."

Vanitas frowned. "Fine then. Do you want me to drive you?"

"I have my car, remember?" She flipped her hair out of the bathrobe and headed to the bathroom. Before she went to school, she wanted to wash his sweat from her body completely. The last thing she wanted to walk into school smelling like was sweat and sex from the night before.

Ever since the first night when Vanitas had approached her, she found herself at his apartment much more often which usually resulted in her spending the night and her waking up in his bed the next morning. Jasmine began to notice that Vanitas was also a lot kinder, _genuinely_. Jasmine reasoned though that it must be because he didn't want her to fight him every time he wanted it. If he wanted to keep on with everything, he knew that he had to please her if she was to please him.

Jasmine desperately wished that she had a shot of some type of alcohol or drug strong enough to steady her nerves and make her forget about everything. This was the fourth time they had been intimate since Riku's birthday. The initial pain from the first time around was no more, making it easier on her but that didn't mean that she wanted to lie with him.

It seemed to work though. Vanitas had made a few changes to the way he treated her. He showered her with gifts on a regular basis, gave her peace and kept her up to date with her father's business. It seemed as though the both of them were spending all their time and efforts investing in a few companies. Jasmine offered her two cents here and there, but she did not want to get involved. If they wanted to mess in risky business, it was on them.

"I'll be ready in fifteen minutes," she called out, poking her head from the bathroom door.

Vanitas stretched out and ran a hand through his hair and smirked. "I'll be ready in ten."

"Perfect," Jasmine grinned, shutting the door. She stepped into the warm shower water and allowed it to flow through her hair and across her body. 'I love it when he cooperates with me.'

* * *

Riku stared at the wristwatch Jasmine had given him for his birthday, waiting for her to show up in their homeroom class.

As many times as he had gone over it in his head there was no accepting that Jasmine, the person he loved most, was engaged and set to be married in April. It was something dragged straight out of an out-of-date love story. Those kinds of things did not happen in the modern world.

However, with most wealthy families, the parents often had arranged for children to be married early and to families of equal social and economic status to uphold wealth but even that was starting to die off. There was no way that Jasmine could be engaged and actually happy about it.

Then again, they hadn't spoken in months. But when Riku went back through his birthday, he sensed something from Jasmine that day. The tension between her and Vanitas was undeniable. In addition to that Riku got a vibe from Vanitas, one that did not sit well with him.

Roxas tapped Riku's shoulder, breaking him out of his trance.

"What's up? You're daydreaming again."

Riku snapped out of it. "Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind."

Roxas immediately knew what Riku was thinking about. "Look man, you probably know how messed up her family is. There's no way she's actually in love with Vanitas." Roxas whispered, "Sora told me everything about him. Knowing Jasmine's she probably trying to figure out a way out of this."

"Have you talked to her?"

"Once," Roxas admitted, "she asked Naminé to be her maid of honor and I got to speak with her for a few minutes. From what I gather, she's not exactly ecstatic to be an eighteen year old wife. You know Jasmine. It's not the type of things she'd go crazy over in the first place."

A couple of minutes before the bell rang Jasmine made her way into the classroom and took a spot near the window away from everyone.

Roxas nodded to Riku, jumped to his feet and smiled before he made his way over to her.

"Glad to have you back in class," he greeted cheerfully.

"Good to be back," Jasmine said, yawning.

"Didn't get enough sleep?" Roxas asked honestly.

Jasmine shook her head, pulling all her hair up into a huge, messy bun resting at the top of her head. Roxas noticed several bruises on her neck as if she had been bitten. He then remembered that she had a fiancée now and (as much as it pained him to admit it) it was quite possibly that he was the cause of the bruises.

"It was a long night," she told him, putting on her glasses. "I didn't get to sleep that much."

Roxas chuckled. "Staying up late with Tifa again?"

Jasmine paused. "Not exactly."

Judging from the tone, Roxas deduced that she did not want to talk about the subject anymore. Luckily, the bell for class to begin blared off.

"I'll talk to you later," Roxas called out over his shoulder.

Jasmine's eyes narrowed and she stared at the whiteboard with an intense look on her face. "We shall."

* * *

Tifa watched Jasmine descend down the stairs wearing a loose-fitting tank top partially covering her shorts. "Hey sweetheart," she called gently, "I'm making your favorite tonight. Make sure that you get washed up before then."

Jasmine smiled slightly but it faded as quickly as it came as she made her way into the living room.

Tifa sighed. Jasmine was distant a long time ago but now it was as if she was a ghost of her former self. She didn't eat as much, she rarely spoke, and her eyes no longer had the same youthful light they used to have. Something was missing and she knew Vanitas had something to do with it.

The restaurant owner set her washrag down and headed into the living room, taking a seat next to Jasmine who was chewing on a long toothpick, something she found the girl doing on a regular basis now.

"It's strange," Tifa said distantly, "we used to be able to watch TV together, laugh and talk about anything."

Jasmine removed the toothpick. She sensed a conversation coming.

"How have things been with Vanitas? He's been coming around a lot more as of late."

Jasmine fought the urge to roll her eyes. It wasn't Tifa's question that irked her, but having to be reminded of Vanitas when she was trying to relax that set her nerves on edge. "He's still the fiancé I don't love. But he's been a lot nicer to me lately so I guess things are going well."

Tifa's eyes roamed Jasmine's body and she noticed a series of bruises all along her neck, her calves and even on her exposed upper legs.

"Where did you get those bruises from?" Tifa asked, tone a bit heavier.

Jasmine mentally cursed before sticking the toothpick back into her mouth. 'I should kill him for making things so obvious and slap myself for not throwing on a pair of sweatpants.'

"It's nothing, Tifa. I'm not hurting myself."

"They look like bite marks," Tifa ran her hand along a particular bruise along Jasmine's inner thigh. Her eyes narrowed. "Was it Vanitas?"

Jasmine answered, "Yes," instantly.

There was no hesitation in Jasmine's answer whatsoever and that frightened Tifa. Usually the girl would blush at a situation like this but here it was like she didn't care whether Tifa knew or not.

Jasmine jumped to her feet. "I forgot my cell phone in my room. Be down in a second."

The doorbell rang and Tifa scurried to her feet and ran to the door. When she opened it, she pulled the person standing on the doorstep into a tight hug, stroking back the young man's soft silver hair.

"Riku! It's so good to see you," Tifa cried out, pulling him into the house.

"It's nice to see you too," he said with a smile. "It's been a while."

Tifa ushered Riku into the living room. "How have you been? You've definitely gotten more handsome since the last time I saw you."

"Thank you," Riku replied politely.

Even Riku wasn't the same as the last time she'd seen him. The last time he entered the house, he was all smiles and there was a sort of light in his eyes that couldn't be mistaken for anything else other than love. Now he just seemed tired and there was no energy to be had.

"You want to see Jasmine, right?" Tifa asked, wanting to get to the bottom of this.

Riku nodded. "It's been too long. We need to talk about this." He quickly glanced at the stairs and then back to Tifa. "I swear, I never meant to hurt her. I was sabotaged by these two girls Alex and Larxene—"

Tifa cut him off. "Riku, if _you_ tell me that it was a mistake, then I believe you—no questions asked. Jasmine has been going through a lot as you can probably expect and so I'm sure she overreacted. Knock on the door and go talk to her."

Riku hesitated. "I hate to ask this, but is it true that she's really engaged?"

A grim expression made its way to Tifa's face. "Unfortunately yes. But I'm fighting her parents to break it off." Tifa wrapped a strand of hair around her ear. "Vanitas is not having a good impact on her at all. I think he's changing her, making her almost heartless in a way."

Riku was trying to connect a few dots. "When did she find out that she was engaged?"

Tifa replied, "If I remember correctly, it was the day the two of you broke up. Maybe an hour after the fact. She was such a wreck. I was afraid she might do something to hurt herself. Her parents really have screwed up with this one. I'm trying to fight for permanent custody over her but it's hard with her turning eighteen in under twelve months."

There really was so much more to this story than what Riku had known. No wonder she'd been out of it since the break up. Becoming engaged not that long after to a person who seemed to be off their rocker with no way out would be enough to drive anyone crazy.

"Go up there and talk to her," Tifa urged. "She needs to know that you still care about her."

"What if she still hates me?"

"Riku," Tifa said slowly, "no matter what Jasmine has said, or what she may say, I'm positive that she does not hate you. The Jasmine we all know and love is still in there. She's just been through so much."

Without having to say another word, Riku made his way up the stairs in order to see Jasmine. 'No wonder she's been out of it.

As Riku rounded a corner, he bumped flat into a human body that fell to the floor. Jasmine rubbed her head and groaned. "That was either a wall or Cloud," she grumbled.

Jasmine found herself being hoisted up and her eyes widened when she discovered that it was Riku she had collided with. Now on her feet, she brushed herself off and stepped back.

"To what do I owe you this visit?" She asked cordially.

"A conversation we should have had months ago," Riku replied sternly.

Jasmine untied her hair and headed for her bedroom, locking the door behind Riku and sitting on her desk, drinking something from a container. "You've got a lot on your mind," she pointed out, "as soon as you walked in I could feel it."

Riku laughed hollowly. She was always good at immediately recognizing what was wrong with him.

"Can you blame me?"

"Well," she said, voice taking on a slightly irritable tone, "I can blame you for a _few _things if that's what you're getting at."

Riku spotted the ring he gave her sitting on the desk in a pile of other jewelry. "I'm surprised you didn't throw that ring into the ocean yet."

Jasmine screwed the top back on her container. "I'm not that heartless. The proper thing would be to give it back to you."

"Faye," Riku spoke quietly.

His voice was electrifying. Hearing her true name roll off his tongue caused her heart to flutter. Jasmine was determined to not let that show though.

"That ring belongs to you. I wouldn't accept it anyway."

"Then I guess I'll just have to hang onto it," she said with a shrug of the shoulders.

"Larxene admitted to slipping a drug in my drink at that party," Riku started.

"How am I supposed to believe that?" Jasmine challenged, whipping around to face him. She replaced the toothpick in her mouth. "Do you have any actual proof?"

Riku whipped out his cell phone and set it on her desk.

Jasmine's heart began to race. Could it be that she was wrong about Riku the entire time and that all that she had thought about him was a lie? What if he had all the evidence needed to clear his name? Then she would feel like a fool and ashamed for acting out in the way that she did. She humiliated him in front of a good portion of the school and her friends. How would she be able to live with herself if he had all that he needed to prove that the incident with Larxene was not his fault?

"You were right," Riku announced. "I shouldn't have gone to Ienzo's place. You were always right about them. If I listened to you in the first place, we wouldn't be like this now."

Jasmine hopped off the desk and tossed the toothpick into a nearby trashcan, making the shot.

"Riku, there's no way I could have known that I was getting engaged," she admitted. "But you have to understand that there would have been no way out of it regardless. It was going to happen. My father had apparently been planning this for a while. I am engaged and so far, the wedding is still on."

Riku placed his hands on her shoulders. "Do you really expect me to have to sit calmly and watch you walk down the aisle for someone I know you don't care for?"

Jasmine laughed darkly. "How many times do I have to tell you? As for now, the wedding is still going to happen. There's nothing you can do about it."

Riku became angry with the way she was behaving. Tifa was right. Whatever Vanitas and her father had done had completely changed Jasmine into someone she should never have become.

"Trust, it was not my intention to be married at eighteen." Jasmine backed away from Riku. "If I had it my way, I would pack up my things, toss them in my car and just run far away from here. I don't care about my parents, Vanitas and his family—well except for Sora and his group, or anything else. It's not like I'm living my own life. Everything is being decided out for me. The life I live is not my own."

"Would you really run away?"

Jasmine grabbed the bottle and took another sip. "It's the coward's way of dealing with problems, but there's nothing else really for me at this point. For now I'd rather deal with this problem heads on and figure how to work things out on my own. At least then I'd know I tried."

Riku and Jasmine stood in silence for several minutes, each lost in their own thoughts until finally, Riku spoke up.

"What if I asked you to?"

Jasmine blinked. "What? Asked me to what?"

"What if I asked you to run away with me?" Riku said, sounding more confident than he had before. "Would you do it?"

Jasmine felt tears beginning to form in her eyes. She could not deny it or try to hide it. She was still madly in love with Riku. Even after all the things she said and did to him, after ignoring him for months and ruining his birthday, he was willing to take her far away from everyone without caring about his life on the island.

She squeezed the ring Vanitas gave her. "You wouldn't want me now anyway." Despair and hurt laced her words. "Even if I said yes, it would do no good. I don't think you understand the kind of people I'm dealing with here. We would get caught, my father would ship me off somewhere and I'd still be married to Vanitas."

"But would you say yes?"

"It doesn't matter if I said yes or not!" Jasmine was almost yelling now. "I'm telling you to let this drop! If my father or Vanitas even knew about you, it would be all over. You don't want men like that on your back. Vanitas would probably come after you if he even had an inkling about our past. He already found out about Roxas and he's holding it over my head. Don't get yourself mixed up in this, I'm begging you!"

Riku was quite sure that Jasmine wasn't aware of the fact that she was crying at this point.

"Do you love Vanitas?"

"No," Jasmine wiped away the tears and a sinister smirk appeared on her face instead. "But if everything goes my way, my father and Vanitas will never be a problem for me as long as I live. You just have to step back and leave it alone."

"Faye, do you understand how you sound right now? Since when was revenge something you lived by?"

Jasmine chuckled. "I'm just trying to get my life back. I'll do anything I have to in order to have a life of my own. I don't care what I have to do to do it." She pulled out several tendrils of white hair from behind her ear. "You see this? That's how stressed I am. My nerves are terrible, I drink to keep myself stable and I rarely sleep. Even when I do sleep, all I have are nightmares. This is not how people should live."

Riku sensed that none of this would end well if Jasmine went on about her plan, whatever it was. He knew that she was quite capable of getting her freedom back but at what cost?

"They're driving me insane," she began to pace madly across the room. "But it's okay, I'll get what I want in the end. I'll just have to keep to my plan."

Jasmine needed help. Riku could sense that she was slowly snapping and losing her mind. He did not believe that she could be this vindictive and hateful. She was a far cry from the gentle, shy young girl he had fallen for long ago. But he still loved her and would not give up on her.

"Is there anything you want me to do?"

"Yeah," she replied, "I want you to stay out of this," Jasmine replied sharply, eyes ablaze. "I can only keep working with Vanitas if I keep him happy. If he knows about you, he'll make both our lives a living hell for as long as we're living and no matter what I do to try t please him, it won't make things better. If you want to help, back off."

"Please him? What are you talking about?"

Jasmine gritted her teeth at remembering that fateful night when he had ruined her. She would never want to admit to Riku how she allowed Vanitas to steal her virginity in exchange for him staying out of her personal affairs with the boys she knew at school.

She ushered Riku out of the room, telling him that she had to take care of some business. "I'll return your phone to you tomorrow at the latest."

"Faye, you haven't answered my questions," Riku prodded.

Jasmine looked up, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks. However her expression was still hardened and cold.

"Let's just say he took what should have always been yours." And she closed the door on that note, staring at the phone. 'What a mess…'

Jasmine didn't even bother listening to the voice recording. If Riku had come all the way over here saying that he had proof, then she would believe him. What she did do, was go through his pictures. She came to in in particular with him sitting down in the sand with her behind him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"We'll never have those days again," Jasmine set the phone back down and hopped in bed, pulling the Mickey Mouse doll he gave her to her chest, begging for sleep to calm her nerves and take her away from her bleak reality.


	47. Chapter 47: Visions of the Future

**Author's Comments: **Sorry it took a bit longer to update this chapter. This one is shorter and kind of a bridge to the next set of events. I hope everyone enjoys it and tell me what you think, okay? I want to thank all those who read, those who favorite, those who alert and those who review like **ventus4ever, ShatterTheHeavens, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Kanika Meskhenet, Lazyxafternoons, animechick247, Frooky90, KittyFox1 **and **tiredgirl.** You guys are amazing!

Oh, and before I forget, there's a poll at the top of my profile page for the next story I'm going to work on and I need you guys' help. Vote and tell me what you'd like to see in my next story. Thanks so much. I hope you like the chapter, enjoy, and take care!

-Skye

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. I only own the OCs.

* * *

Naminé spotted Jasmine sitting under an umbrella at a café wearing a pair of oversized sunglasses. The blond waved to get her attention and made her way over to the patio area, taking a spot in the free chair across from Jasmine.

"Hiding from fans?" Naminé asked playfully.

Jasmine removed the sunglasses and set them on top of her head. "I've actually been approached five times since I've been here. I'm still not used to this. I haven't even released my own single yet."

Naminé reached across the table and patted Jasmine's hand. "Get used to it. You're going to be a star. I can't wait until we all get to see you at a concert. It'll be great, just you see."

Jasmine left one hand under the table. The slightest mention of the future caused her right hand to twitch, something she had picked up when she had first become engaged to Vanitas.

"Thank you so much for being my maid of honor," Jasmine said gratefully. "You have no idea how much this means to me. It's great to have friends I can truly count on for this stressful time."

Naminé fidgeted in her seat. When the waiter stopped by he took her order. As soon as he was gone, the blond spoke her mind. "Jasmine, are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Jasmine frowned. "I have no choice."

"But," Naminé began, "do you really think you'll be able to live with this? You're so young—"

"To be getting married," Jasmine finished. "I'm aware of this. But I'm not going to try and look at my age and Vanitas'. It's happening so I'm just going to keep moving forward."

Hearing the heaviness in Jasmine's voice prompted Naminé to change the subject. "So," she tried to smile despite the situation, "what's he like?"

Jasmine cocked an eyebrow.

"Vanitas," Naminé clarified.

"Him," Jasmine cleared her throat, "He's driven, intelligent, knows what he wants. It's a bit creepy with him looking almost identical to Sora at times but their personalities are so polar opposite I get over it really fast."

Naminé tried to search for something good about Vanitas. "Well he is pretty hot. He's kind of mysterious."

"Oh yeah, he's mysterious all right," Jasmine trailed off. 'It's taking me _way_ too long to figure him out."

"So," Naminé straightened up in her seat, "what do you want me to do? I'm here to help with whatever you need."

"Since we're still in school, there are a lot of duties that will be passed on to my mother. I'll need someone with picking out the desserts, the bridesmaid's dresses, my gown—my mom wants it to be the two of us but I won't be able to sit through four hours looking at gowns with her on my own without killing her—and the dress I'll wear for after the ceremony."

"What about the flowers?" Naminé asked curiously.

"Vanitas and I already took care of it. The man has a deep infatuation with the color red so we decided to go with blood red roses all around with accents of black in the decorations. I swear the man is a bit morbid."

"Red is romantic," Naminé stated, thanking the waiter who brought her drink.

"Red is a lot of things," Jasmine said distantly. 'Passion, fire, rage, blood…' She cleared her throat. "We're going to look at dresses next weekend. I hope you can be there. We're trying to get everything taken care of well in advance." She finished off her coffee. "Vanitas doesn't want me to stress, especially with the release of my singles coming out soon."

"How many singles are there?"

"Two now," she answered. "They're all tied in to the album's main theme. I've had a lot of free time to sit at a piano and just…go."

"What's the theme of the album?"

Jasmine leaned back and crossed her legs. "Pain."

Naminé shivered. "Sounds intense."

"I hope it comes across that way." Jasmine smiled. "Now I know you don't really wear red, so I'm trying to convince Vanitas to throw in some gold here and there. I'll talk to him tonight and see if I can work something out."

"This is really happening," Naminé said, smiling sadly. "You know, I knew we were going to be friends for a while, but I never thought we'd be planning your wedding this far in advance."

"Life is unpredictable. Trust me, I did not see this as a future for myself. But you know what, I'm going to keep on moving regardless of who's involved or not."

Naminé once again took Jasmine's hand. "Well I'll be here for you, every step of the way."

Jasmine smiled at Naminé's kind words. She remembered when she was that optimistic. It almost seemed like a distant dream. A dream she wouldn't mind revisiting.

* * *

"I'm not going to let her go through with this," Riku said sternly as he typed away on his laptop.

Tidus and Sora stared at the older teen with wide eyes. "Are you crazy?" Tidus asked. "You're going to try to break up a marriage?"

Riku looked over the laptop. "They're not married yet. Besides, she's still seventeen. Technically the engagement shouldn't hold. From what I gather this is all her parents' doing. If she had a way out, she'd take it."

Sora shook his head. "Maybe I should see what's going on with Vanitas. He is my cousin after all. From what I gather, he's been working with Jasmine's father for months."

"On what?" Tidus asked, flinging himself on the bed.

"Business—I'm not entirely sure about what exactly though. Her father is some powerful politician who's building up a small fortune."

Tidus reeled back. "Wait, Jasmine isn't rich. Her family is middle class. At least that's what she always made us believe."

"Did we ever really ask what her social status was?" Sora asked, holding out his arms. "Everyone just assumed she wasn't rich because her parents aren't millionaires."

"So are they?" Tidus asked the brown-haired boy.

"I'd say upper middle class...at this point," Sora answered.

The blond sat back on Riku's sofa. "So let me get this straight: we're dealing with a girl, who is probably a genius, who is slowly going insane because her parents are marrying her off to some crazy," Tidus paused and looked apologetic, "sorry Sora…"

Sora chirped, "No you're right. He's nuts."

Tidus continued, "Lunatic who is five years older than her. And this same girl can't act out in public because she's also a pop singer who will be under the public eye and because her parents will probably ship her off to the middle of nowhere. Is that right?"

"Sounds about right to me," Sora yawned. All this talk about marriages needing to be broken up was tiring Sora out.

Tidus sighed. "Well our lives just got way more interesting. Can't say we're gonna be bored for the next few months."

Riku shut his laptop. "Here's the plan: Naminé and Roxas are going to be working through the wedding with her as if it were still going on."

"I thought Jasmine said it was," Sora pointed out. "Are you sure you wanna get involved in this? She told you herself to stay out of it."

Riku carelessly shrugged his shoulders. "I know. But I have a really bad feeling that this might not turn out so well. That's why I'm getting involved."

"What do you mean?" Tidus asked.

"Let's just say that I have a feeling that someone might get hurt with all this—possibly Faye."

Tidus exhaled. "You know, I'm NOT gonna get used to you calling her that even though its her stage name and her first name."

"All that aside, I'm going to do what I can."

Sora and Tidus glanced at each other. However, it was Sora who spoke up. "Riku, if Vanitas catches you sneaking around with his fiancée, he'll go berserk."

Judging by the determination in Riku's eyes, Sora figured that there was no talking him out of whatever he had in mind. "Fine," Sora sighed heavily. "Just don't do anything until I can talk to him first. Got it, Romeo?"

"You make it sound like your cousin is some mafia member or something," Tidus joked, trying to lighten the mood.

When Sora's face took on a sullen appearance, Tidus knew that he wasn't playing around.

"Vanitas might just be a lot worse. You know how a lot of villains in games and movies have this huge story and background behind them as to _why_ they do the things they do?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Riku inquired.

"Vanitas may have had a past," Sora's eyes were glued to the floor, "and granted, him losing his parents was terrible and probably screwed him up, but he wasn't exactly the nicest kid before that. If I were to compare him to a villain, he'd be the one who was just power hungry who has no remorse for his actions. He wouldn't mind hurting someone just for entertainment and will do _anything _to get what he wants. End of story, Vanitas doesn't care about anyone but himself."

Tidus' face paled. "Guess we'd better get working on this now, huh?"

"Let me give Vanitas a call so we can hang out," Sora sighed. "I'm supposed to be the best man."

"This just gets better and better," Riku snapped.

"Don't worry Riku," Sora smiled in order to ease Riku's nerves. "This will all work out. You'll see."

* * *

Vanitas, sitting at the desk in his office looked up when a familiar man with long blond hair and green eyes entered. "Vexen, what news do you have for me?"

The blond took a seat in the leather chair across from Vanitas and set a briefcase down on the desk. "I'm just trying to keep you up to date on Mr. Silva's business affairs. He's committed to investing more money into the companies you pointed out."

Vexen opened the briefcase and handed Vanitas a file.

"You know," Vanitas began slowly, flipping through the pages Vexen had neatly set out for him, "I'm actually quite shocked that you're willing to cross Mr. Silva given that you've been working with him for years."

"I really cannot stand that man or his wife," Vexen sneered. "They're just too full of themselves for my taste. Besides, with my cut from the job I'll walk away with enough money to retire early."

Vanitas smiled. "I'd say I lucked out getting a hold on Mr. Silva's accountant. You're quite useful."

"Just as long as you remember the deal we have Vanitas," the blond said, green eyes narrowing. "Don't you dare double cross me."

Vanitas closed the file and tossed it aside, leaning back in his chair. "I think it's best that you make sure you handle your own affairs and let me handle mine. I can take care of myself, with or without you."

Vexen tried to hide his irritation. He did not like the fact that some young kid was ordering him around like a dog. But Vexen knew well not to cross Vanitas. He knew exactly what he was capable of and did _not_ want to be on the receiving end of the boy's wrath.

"Speaking of affairs," Vexen cleared his throat, "do you really think it's wise to be marrying Mr. Silva's daughter? To be quite honest, I don't trust the girl."

Vanitas smirked. "Or is it because she makes it a point to let you know that she does not like you? Is that it?"

Vexen was struck by Vanitas' comment. "I could care less whether the girl likes me or not. She means nothing to me. I am just simply saying—for your own good—that you should be careful around her. Keep in mind she could be just as devious as you and her intelligence is not something to be trifled with."

A knock on the door silenced the pair. Vanitas smiled and called, "Come in!" before packing away the file in the briefcase.

The door swung open and Jasmine now stood in the door-frame.

Vexen stood up to greet Jasmine and plastered a fake smile on his face. "Jasmine, it's a pleasure to see you again."

Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes. "I wish I could say the same, but I can't."

Vanitas chuckled at his fiancée's bluntness while Vexen's cheeks turned red with embarrassment.

"Must you be so rude? Keep in mind you are in the presence of men," Vexen snapped.

Jasmine entered slowly and cut him off with her eyes. "Keep in mind you're in the presence of a woman who could care less about you or your feelings."

Vanitas loved every second of this. Jasmine made it known as soon as he proposed to her that she despised Vexen; she said that she thought he was weak and a coward. Now that she was about to be tied to Vanitas and becoming his wife, she no longer had to answer to her father and therefore spoke freely. Vanitas did not care for Vexen either so hearing someone else inadvertently speak his thoughts was a pleasure, especially when it came from someone as sharp and biting as Jasmine.

"Now, I hope you're done with whatever it is you were talking about," Jasmine stood by Vanitas' desk, "because I would like it if you disappeared. _Now_."

Vexen scowled. "Who do you think you are, child? Do you have any idea who you're dealing with here?"

Jasmine placed a hand on her hip and smiled cheerfully, startling Vexen when she did so. "Well let me see...My name is Faye Jasmine Silva and I'm more than fairly sure that I'm dealing with some minion of Vanitas."

Before Vexen could reply, Vanitas said, "You can leave, Vexen. We can talk about this some other day. I'll call you later."

The blond accountant snorted and rose from his seat, eying Jasmine dangerously as he left the room and slammed the door behind him.

"You're really something, you know that?"

Jasmine leaned against the desk. "I don't like weak men. You know this."

Vanitas motioned for her to come to him and she did so. He pulled her down into his lap, resting one hand on her knee and securing the other around her waist. "Another favorable trait," he told her approvingly.

Jasmine changed the subject. "What's going on? Is there something wrong? How is everything going with our...project?"

"No. Everything is moving along perfectly. It seems your father is throwing all his money into the companies we've talked about. Everything will be where it needs to be in January."

Jasmine leaned against Vanitas for support and stared at the scattered files on the desk. "Slow and steady," she said quietly.

"I've also picked the spot for our honeymoon," Vanitas announced, taking her hand and kissing it softly. "I hope you like Paris in the springtime. I extended it for two weeks instead of one. I hope that doesn't bother you."

Jasmine fought the urge to roll her eyes. "I still have school, remember?"

"So what? You have enough credits to graduate early. You should just take an early exit exam."

"Vanitas, I want to at least _pretend _that I have a normal life. At least let me have a graduation. I don't even need the whole prom experience."

"Jasmine, you and I both know that you don't need to stay at that school."

"But I _want_ to stay. If I'm going to be married at eighteen, then I at least want to ride out the rest of my childhood until then," Jasmine placed a hand over his chest, "okay?"

Vanitas squeezed her knee. He could not understand why she wanted so much to stay in school. But he was not going to argue with her on the subject. "Fine, just keep in mind we have a busy schedule to keep."

Jasmine kissed his forehead. "Thank you, Vanitas." She attempted to get up but he kept her in his lap.

"It's a rare treat that I get to see my fiancée willingly at my apartment. What was the nature of this visit, hmm?"

"Just checking in on business," Jasmine told him, wanting to pry his hands off her. "Like I said, we're partners in this and I want to be there every step of the way."

"Speaking of which, I'll be attending a gala for one of my colleagues. I need you there. I already picked out your dress. It'll be at your house by Friday at the latest."

Jasmine bit her bottom lip to keep from having an outburst. She cleared her throat and wrapped a strand of hair around her ear. "Vanitas, as much as I appreciate you spoiling me at every opportunity, I don't need you to dress me all the time."

Vanitas squeezed her knee, causing Jasmine to jump. "You'll love it. And you have the body for it. We'll be the most attractive people in the room, you'll see."

"You remind me of my mother," Jasmine thought out loud. "The only difference is that you put me in more revealing clothes." She forced him away from her and stormed to the door.

"Jasmine," Vanitas called out, stopping her in her tracks, "just because you can say anything to Vexen, it doesn't mean that you can mouth off to me whenever you want. I thought we were beyond all this." He stood up and walked over to the door.

"If we're partners in this, you've got to let me speak my mind," she said sternly, refusing to stand down.

Vanitas grabbed her face gently. "And I do that. It's just that I feel as though there's still a bit of tension between us." He ran his thumb along her collarbone. "And NOT a good type of tension."

Jasmine kept her cool and took his hand in hers. "You know I'm stressed and I don't mean to snap. But surely you can understand that I'm under a lot of pressure." She kissed the back of his hand before kissing each individual finger.

Vanitas couldn't help himself and secured both his hands around her waist. "And I suppose you want me to go easy on you for that fact?"

"I'm asking you to," Jasmine whispered, standing so close that with each word her lips brushed against his, "you do what you want. I'm just saying that it's an option. We're already close to what we both want here. I should be on the ball with everything once my next two singles come out."

"And when will that be?"

"Next weekend," she answered, "then I'm free to handle more…" Jasmine planted a butterfly kiss on Vanitas' neck, "_important _matters. Okay?"

Vanitas fought the urge to lock the door and keep Jasmine in his office until the morning but felt himself losing the battle. Jasmine had become a sort of addiction for him like a drug that he couldn't get enough of and he knew it. But as long as he had her under his thumb, he could at least pretend as though her advances did not faze him.

"Alright," he said finally.

Jasmine kissed him once on the lips and hurried out of the office, leaving Vanitas to his work. He made his way to his desk and shivered at the loss of heat from Jasmine pulling away. Vanitas went back to reading through cases and files. Paris seemed so far away…


	48. Chapter 48: Turning Point

**Author's Comments: **I can't believe the story over half-way over! I'm actually really sad about that :( But I'm happy too. It came so far from the simple high school romance/love-hate story I had originally planned out.

This chapter right here is probably one of the most important for the story and for me personally. It's strange, after I finished this chapter at around two in the afternoon something really insane happened to me today and I really didn't know what I was going to do and I felt really lost. Then, after a long talk with some people I really care about, I came back to this chapter and read the last part. Bizarrely, the feelings between myself and several characters were similar even before everything happened and the ending made me feel so much better that I almost cried. Anyway I'm through with my little emotional outpour. Sorry bout that guys lol

I wanna thank all the readers, those who fave, those who alert and give a shoutout to my reviewers **animechick247, Clumsy Clouds, ventus4ever, ShatterTheHeavens, tiredgirl, Kanika Meskhenet, KittyFox1, Frooky90, Amaya-vamp, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Lazyxafternoons, **and **Andreussita. **You guys are great. Tell me what you think of this chapter and take care!

-Skye

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. I only own the OCs.

* * *

She held her pose and kept her eyes wide open as the photographer took the last few shots for the cover of her single "Labyrinth". Jasmine smiled when the photographer said that she was done and thanked him for all his hard work.

Angela walked up to the set and smiled. Jasmine was becoming quite creative with her ideas.

For the cover of "Labyrinth", the young girl requested a scene with her in a small room with gray brick walls, chains in the walls attached to her wrists and ankles and dim lighting on her from up above casting shadows on her face. Jasmine's makeup was simple: she wanted her lips to be nude and dark lining around her eyes, her most prominent feature. Her hair was wild but structured in a way that was still flattering to her face and she wore a simple, white spaghetti-strapped dress reaching her knees that was torn in certain places with dirt and ash splattered over her exposed skin. Then, on her right arm was a (fake) tattoo of a maze out in the open.

"Well if you're going for a dark, Gothic pop song I think you've nailed it," Angela said, glancing around the scene.

Jasmine stretched her arms out, the chains rattling as she did so. "I'd say so. I know it's kind of risky for a first single, but I wanted it to be a song that actually meant something to me."

"I agree," Angela helped Jasmine out of the chains on her ankles, "the lyrics have a strong meaning but it can also count for a good dance song at nightclubs. I think it'll perform well."

"And tomorrow we shoot the cover for the song "Anthem", correct?"

Angela nodded and helped Jasmine up. Before she could walk off, Angela grabbed her wrist.

"What's wrong? You didn't like the shoot?"

"That's not it. The shoot was fabulous," Angela said quickly. "But it's just…"

Jasmine cocked an eyebrow. "It's just what?"

Angela sighed and pulled Jasmine over to a bench. "I'm worried about you, dear. I mean, your lyrics are amazing and the compositions you put together are fantastic—definitely something people will appreciate—but despite your "image", the lyrics are still very dark."

Jasmine forced a laugh. "The album's theme is pain."

"And that's the problem," Angela pointed out. "I'm afraid that everything that's happened is affecting you on a…" She did not want to say this but knew it had to be done, "…psychological level."

Jasmine leaned back but showed nothing more than curiosity on her face. "Ah," she said simply, not taking the criticism seriously. "I'm fine. I'm just busy, that's all."

"No, I don't think you understand," Angela stared into Jasmine's hardened eyes. "You're just not yourself anymore and it worries me." She reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a business card, handing it to Jasmine.

The dark-haired teen did not look at the card. "What's this for?"

Angela reached out and gave Jasmine's hands a squeeze. "It's for a psychologist. I want you to make an appointment to see her." Before Jasmine could protest, Angela continued. "She's very good and she's worked with many of our younger singers. Although they don't have the _exact_ same problems you have, she'll be more than helpful."

It was almost an insult to Jasmine that Angela handed her a card for mental help. Jasmine was already well aware of her dwindling sanity and did not feel the need to go seek someone out to tell her what she already knew.

She politely pocketed the card. "I'll give it some thought."

Now Jasmine could work without feeling any remorse for her future actions. She had successfully learned how to detach her emotions at school, at work, with her parents and even when she spent time with Vanitas so she could get through the day and keep on with her plans. Acting had become so integrated into her routine that even she was starting to wonder which personality she took on really belonged to her.

Jasmine stood up and yawned. "Just in time for Halloween. I just hope the single is successful." Jasmine found her purse and slid the engagement ring back on her finger.

"Do you want to make your engagement announcement publicly?" Angela asked, gathering her things.

"No," Jasmine replied frankly. "I don't think it should come up as an issue until after I say my vows." However she couldn't stop herself from shivering at the prospect at standing at the altar with Vanitas. "When it gets to that point, I'll worry about it then."

"Jasmine, just don't forget that you can always come to me if you need me."

"Thank you," Jasmine said, retreating to the back to change clothes and take off her makeup. 'I'm not sure you can help me with this sort of problem though.'

* * *

Sora cleared his throat and tried to steady his nerves. He was sitting in a restaurant waiting for his cousin Vanitas to show up so he could talk about his duties as the best man.

It had been a few years since he and Vanitas actually saw each other and had some one-on-one time. When they were younger Sora's parents would invite their relatives over so the two could play. Needless to say, Vanitas was always a little more aggressive than the gentle, younger boy.

Sora shivered and stared at his arm. There was one time in particular where they were playing around and Vanitas happened to push Sora and he ended up with a broken arm. The injury had completely healed but Sora could not and would not forget that day.

Vanitas walked into the restaurant and spotted Sora immediately. It was hard to ignore a mop of spiky hair like his. The older, raven-haired man slid into the booth with a slight smile on his face.

"It's good to see you, Sora," Vanitas greeted.

Sora cleared his throat and forced a smile. "Same here, man. So…" he shifted in his seat and put his hands behind his head, "you're getting married. How does it feel?"

Vanitas set his phone on the table. "Great actually. But then again," his lips pulled into a more mischievous smile, "when you're marrying someone like Jasmine, you're gonna be happy regardless."

"I agree," Sora nodded his head, "she's really awesome." He tried not to show any type of negative feelings towards Vanitas for stealing his best friend's love interest away. "You know, I didn't expect you to pick me as your best man. I figured it'd be someone you graduated from college with."

The darker haired man pushed a button on his now-vibrating phone, silencing it immediately. "Well I figured that it would be best to keep it in the family, eh Sora?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, "family." Sora looked up. "So…what exactly do you need me to do?"

"If anything, you'll be running errands and making sure that all the little details are tended to. It won't be too tasking. I don't want to overwork you."

Sora winced. Another thing about Vanitas was that he always spoke to Sora in a condescending tone. "Vanitas, I can handle a few errands. It's not a big deal."

Vanitas sighed. "Don't think too much on it, little cousin. I've got the bulk of it done on my own."

Ignoring Vanitas and his attitude, Sora asked, "How did you meet Jasmine anyway? It's not like you were like most couples who met at school or something."

"I know her father. I was an intern for one of his colleagues and he introduced me to him."

"Go on," Sora prodded.

"Eventually, Mr. Silva took me under his wing and since then has tried to prepare me for law and politics. I happened to meet Jasmine at a dinner. I hope that answers your question."

Sora absorbed all the new information and committed it to his memory. "Uh huh. But, why did you approach Jasmine? I mean, what do you like about her?"

Vanitas stared at Sora as if he was searching for something. "You sure are asking a lot of questions about me and Jasmine's relationship."

"I-I'm just a bit curious, that's all," Sora held up his hands defensively. "Honestly, it just seemed pretty random that you two ended up engaged."

"The way I see it, dearest cousin," Vanitas' tone was biting once again, "you two are friends, correct?"

Sora nodded.

"I just so happen to live on the island. I knew her father. It was only a matter of time before we met."

Sora felt a chill go up his spine when speaking to Vanitas. With being cousins, Sora should have been used to this. But with Vanitas' personality and demeanor, there was no way anyone could get over the young man's icy façade.

"As for your second question, there's not much to NOT like about Jasmine," Vanitas continued on. "She's talented, she's intelligent, she works hard and—in my opinion—I think that she's gorgeous. She's not some ditzy schoolgirl. Jasmine is a woman, mentally and physically. Plus," he glanced at his phone and responded to a text message, "She's got a devilish side to her that I adore. She's perfect."

"She's got a devilish side?" Sora inquired. "What do you mean?"

Vanitas smirked. "Let's just say she's not exactly a little angel all the time."

Sora had a flashback of the day he saw Jasmine punch out Riku. "Yeah," he trailed off, "I figured as much."

"And she keeps me on my toes. I never know what she's gonna do next. But it's fine with me," Vanitas tucked his phone away in his pocket. "When we take our honeymoon in Paris, I'll be sure to do a little more…_exploring _of her limits and test to see just what kind of woman she _really_ is."

Sora's jaw dropped. It took nearly everything he had in him to not snap at Vanitas and demand that he leave Jasmine alone. But he could not risk ending up on Vanitas' bad side and ruin whatever chances he had of staying somewhat involved in the wedding. Even though Riku was his best friend, Sora got involved because of how he felt towards Jasmine. She always looked out for him when he needed help and acted more like an older sister figure to him. If there was any way Sora could assist her, he would take it, regardless to whether he was potentially screwing over a family member or not.

"I take it she's crazy about you as well," Sora said finally, trying his best to swallow Vanitas' last statement.

"She knows how to appreciate a man, we'll just keep it simple. By the way, I have your first job. Mr. Silva, Jasmine's father, wants me to pick up an envelope from his office. I'm too busy so I'm going to need you to pick it up today. It's important Sora," Vanitas' eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Don't worry," Sora grinned, "you can count on me. What's it for?"

"Investments," Vanitas answered curtly. "I'll need it at my apartment today by five in the evening." Vanitas rose to his feet. "I'll see you later on tonight." And with that he left the restaurant without even saying so much as a goodbye.

Sora exhaled. Dealing with Vanitas was like having to see the principal and not knowing what you did wrong.

'At least I'll be around long enough to see what's going on. I'd better get back to Riku and tell him everything that I know.'

* * *

Tifa was gone, there was no school that day so Jasmine decided to hang back and relax in her bed with a good movie and a bottle of white wine. Anything to numb the pain of all that was going on around her would be taken and put to use.

For Jasmine, alcohol was her way of slipping into a quiet calm.

She didn't bother looking in the mirror. She knew she looked a hot mess. Jasmine was still wearing her nightshirt, her bedhead was still intact and her eyes were red, black circles now lining them. Jasmine was quite sure that the circles under her eyes going to become a part of her skin permanently if the stress continued at the level it was currently at.

She took another steady sip from the bottle and sighed. "My singles come out today. I wonder if they'll flop." Jasmine giggled and set the bottle down beside her bed.

Her cell phone vibration frightened her. Jasmine lazily reached for the phone and when she saw that the call was from Vanitas, she tossed the phone aside. "Not dealing with you, you sick ass pervert. I'm having some "me" time today. Don't wanna deal with him."

Her eyes narrowed. "He probably wants me to_ come over_." Jasmine scoffed and jumped up, getting out of bed to head downstairs. "Not today."

Jasmine held on tightly to the railing as she went down. For some reason, the room was spinning and it was hard to stay on her feet.

"Whoops," she laughed, "that's what I get for having two whole bottles to myself!"

The doorbell ringing scared Jasmine. She stopped, ran her hands through her hair, pushing it off her face and slowly made her way downstairs. "Can't be Tifa. She won't be back till late."

When Jasmine finally answered the door, she gasped when she found herself staring into Riku's eyes.

"I tried calling you," Riku began, letting himself in the house on his own. "You didn't answer the phone."

Every muscle in Jasmine's body tensed up and she felt blood rushing to her cheeks, but that might have been from the wine. Jasmine shut the door and leaned against it, finding it hard to stand up straight. She pointed to him and frowned.

"I think I told you to back off," she told him, trying to keep her speech from slurring. "But you just don't listen to me."

Riku glanced over his shoulder and flashed a smile. "Well you know me, I do what I want. Why are you shocked?"

Jasmine groaned. "You're impossible I swear. Why can't you just leave well enough alone?"

Riku took a seat on an armchair in the living room. "Because you need help, that's why. You and I both know you don't want to get married."

"And you and I both know that you will be in way over your head if you try and fight Vanitas." Jasmine looked away. 'Why is the room spinning in circles?'

Riku stared at Jasmine as she covered her eyes with her hands. "What's wrong?"

"Besides the obvious? I don't know." She grumbled sarcastically. Jasmine made slow steady strides into the kitchen and reached for a bottle of water on the floor. However, as Jasmine went down, she nearly lost her balance and started to tumble over until Riku grabbed her by her waist and held her up.

"Seriously, you need to go back to bed," Riku advised, pulling her to her feet.

"I've been in bed all day," she argued, prying his hands off her. "You shouldn't be here. Are you dense or something?"

"No I heard you, it's just that I'm not going to listen to you."

Jasmine glared at Riku. He was so stubborn and had no idea that he was already in way too deep. "You're such an idiot." She turned on her heel and jogged up the stairs with Riku on her tail. "Why are you following me? You need to leave."

"Faye," Riku called, slipping into her bedroom before she could close the door on him. "My mother told me she offered you the number to that psychologist's office the other day."

"Yeah, and?"

Riku quickly scanned over the room. Everything seemed to be in order with the exception of her messy bed. He caught a whiff of something in the air, something familiar. "Have you been drinking in here?"

Jasmine fell to her bed. "I've told you already that I drink to steady my nerves. Why are you surprised?"

Riku spotted the two empty bottles beside her bed. "You weren't kidding."

"Nope," Jasmine threw the covers over her body. "I didn't lie that day. The only one I lie to is Vanitas. Not you."

"Faye, you've got to stop this. You have a problem," Riku said sternly.

"I do…" she trailed off. "And my current issues are my parents and my psychotic fiancée. But I know when to stop drinking. I'm not that reckless."

"The Faye I knew would never let herself get into this kind of mess," Riku pointed out.

This angered Jasmine. "See? This is the problem Riku!" She jumped out of bed. "You have no idea what I'm going through! You're not being sold to some arrogant psychopath. You're not being threatened to have a record deal torn from you. You're not in danger of being shipped to an all-girls school. I am!"

"I meant the drinking," Riku said, trying to stay strong under the anger in her voice.

"I drank before I met you," She yelled. "I'm in control of it. I don't think I can express to you how exhausted I am trying to please everyone. The record label, my parents, Vanitas…it's like I can't get a break unless I throw myself off the roof or something."

This struck a chord with Riku. "Don't talk about harming yourself." Riku slowly approached Jasmine. "You're going to be okay once we all help you get out of this."

Jasmine smacked his hand away. "Listen to me!" She roared, pointing to herself. "There is NO getting out of this! I don't know why you keep looking, but the Jasmine you knew isn't coming back! She's gone!"

Riku knew it was the alcohol kicking in. Her voice was cracking and she was flustered with a glazed yet heated look in her eyes. But still her words hurt him. Was all the damage caused really irreversible?

"It's like I can't even remember what it was like to be her," Jasmine trailed off. "And even if she's still around, she's not coming back for a long time."

Riku's only response was a shrug of the shoulder. He snuck up on Jasmine and kissed her forehead.

"I know you probably think I'm being a pest and a nuisance and it's probably true. But I'm not giving up so you shouldn't either."

The insult Jasmine had planned was lodged in her throat. How could it be that after everything she said to him, everything she did, that he was still so kind to her?

Riku ushered a now silent Jasmine into bed and tucked her under the covers. He smoothed her wild hair back and smiled. "By the way, I downloaded your singles. I can't wait to go home and listen to them."

Jasmine blushed deeply and covered her mouth with the comforter. Was love supposed to feel like this?

"You're such a fool," she said weakly.

"Probably," he replied with a smile. Riku grabbed the two bottles. "I'll dispose of these so you don't get grounded." Riku headed for the door. "I'll see you at school." Riku waited a few seconds. "I love you."

Jasmine's response was a tear streaming down her face, staining her sheet.

Riku closed the door behind him, hoping that she would fall asleep and have pleasant dreams.

* * *

_Jasmine sat in a room that seemed to glow ivory. The tiles were white. The walls were white. Even the flowers in the vases were white._

_She squinted against the room's brightness. She was never good with such a blinding color._

_When Jasmine re-opened her eyes, she found that she was sitting in a chair right in front of a large, vanity mirror that started from the floor and was just a foot shy of touching the ceiling. But it was not her reflection she was staring at. Well, not exactly._

_The Jasmine in the mirror was more relaxed and had a devious look on her face with darker circles under her heavily made up eyes and darker clothes._

_"Well now," the other Jasmine said with a laugh, "it's my weaker half. You're a complete train-wreck, you know that?"_

_Jasmine glared at the reflection. "Shut up. You don't know what I'm going through."_

_The reflection laughed. "Who the hell do you think you're talking to? Of COURSE I know what you're going through. I'm you, idiot."_

_"So which part of me are you, huh?"_

_The other Jasmine crossed her legs and rested her elbow on the armrest. "I'm the stronger part of you who is working against Vanitas and our father. I'm the mask you put on in front of him and your family."_

_Jasmine looked to the floor. "You can't really be me."_

_"Well who am I supposed to be? I'm definitely you. I'm just the part of you who still functions. Ever since you got that envelope from Larxene, you've fallen." She turned up her nose. "It's pathetic. So I decided to take over and handle things since you obviously couldn't do it on your own. Vanitas is right. You are going insane."_

_"If I'm insane, then you're the one who is acting on it."_

_"Oh please," the reflection drawled out. "If it wasn't for me, you would have killed yourself by now. I'm the key to your survival. Working with Vanitas is my specialty. I keep him calm so he stays out of our affairs and doesn't go poking around. I do it at any cost."_

_Jasmine frowned. "Why do you keep allowing him to sleep with you on a fair basis? If you hate him so much, why let him touch you?"_

_"Don't start this," the other Jasmine rolled her eyes. "You were weak and allowed him to do it. Sure there was blackmail but you could have at least put up a fight. Then he wouldn't have kept advancing on you. Besides," the doppelganger grinned, "you can't tell me that you don't find pleasure in it."_

_Jasmine's skin began to crawl. "I suppose you do?"_

_"It's a two way street here," she rationalized. "He pleases me, I please him and that way we're both satisfied. I do it mainly to keep him calm. But since you can't have Riku right now I figure it's the best thing."_

_Jasmine rose to her feet. "Shut up!"_

_"I'm sure," she said slowly, "that in another place and another time, you and Vanitas might have actually been good together. He's intelligent, attractive, passionate..."_

_"What is wrong with you? You're just as sick as he is!"_

_"You're looking into your own reflection here, sweetheart. I'm you and this is how you are with everyone around you. There's no reverting back to your old self. And as for Riku, do you really think he'll want to take you back after he finds out that you're about to destroy your father and that you've been screwing Vanitas?" She chuckled. "I think not. After all, who wants an apple after someone has already taken a bite?"_

_Jasmine's face reddened in anger and she grabbed the chair. "I don't have to listen to you! This isn't my fault!"_

_"Face it, Jasmine, you're looking at your future if all this goes according to plan and you survive this. It's time you dealt with reality and understood that no matter what, your life won't go back to what it used to be."_

_Jasmine picked up the chair and flung it with all her strength into the mirror, shattering it into thousands of pieces. Jasmine covered her face and stumbled back, only to find herself falling into darkness._

_Silence filled the air and her screams were inaudible._

_She closed her eyes and felt herself tearing up._

_'I'm so scared and I don't know what to do anymore,' she thought. 'I don't want to be this. I just wish someone would help me.'_

_A hand reached out and took hold of Jasmine's wrist, halting her fall. She opened her eyes and found that instead of being surrounded by darkness, she was surrounded by a Sea of gray. It wasn't too bright, but wasn't too dark. It was perfect. _

_When Jasmine's feet touched a solid ground, she finally got a good look at who caught her and her jaw dropped. This was another doppelganger but this one did not give off the same evil aura as the one taunting her in the mirror. This version of herself seemed to be a medium of herself and the darker version she encountered earlier and she seemed a bit older than she was. Her eyes were not harsh, but they held determination in them that was so powerful that it made Jasmine's heart skip a beat. _

_ "Faye," the other girl started. "What's wrong with you? You seem out of touch." Even her speech was elevated and strung with wisdom._

_Jasmine could not bear to look herself in the eyes. "I'm just so lost. I don't know what I'm doing anymore."_

_"I know what you're doing," the other crossed her arms over her chest. "You're slipping into someone who shouldn't need to be in the first place. It's like you're letting the darkness in your heart take over and dictate your life."_

_Jasmine sighed. "The other me, the one who's bee involved with Vanitas who's taking down my father, she's such a dominant persona."_

_"She's vindictive, cunning, dangerously intelligent and she knows how to use her best assets to keep Vanitas at bay," the other stated. "She's tough to hold back."_

_"And it's my fault I allowed her to surface in the first place," Jasmine whispered. "I'm so weak."_

_"While you were struck with some very terrible luck, you need to move forward and realize that you aren't what you've been showing everyone lately," the other told her. "It's true that those traits belong to you and it's quite clear that you are capable of repeating those same actions, but is that what you really want?"_

_Jasmine balled her fists. "I hate that I have to be that way. I never wanted it."_

_"Because being cunning, manipulative and power driven are traits your father has," the other Jasmine said wisely._

_Jasmine's eyes widened. She had become everything that she hated without even realizing it. _

_"However, you are your own person and although you can't go back to your life a year ago, you can take this chance to grow and make piece within yourself."_

_"So the me I am now," she pointed to herself, "is just a shell, am I right?"_

_The other nodded. "Exactly. It's what you're trying to hang onto. You still have a few of the same characteristics you had from your childhood-you're introverted, a bit feisty and gentle nature. But your innocence is gone. You have to move forward."_

_"But if she's me, does that mean that I have to discard all of her qualities as well?"_

_"No. Not all of them. Use her drive, her passion, her determination to push forward despite the pain and the same wit and cunning to finish what you started. You will teach Father a lesson, make no mistake. But your methods will be different and your attitude will be different."_

_"Like how?" Jasmine blinked. "Wait..." she stared long and hard at the girl in front of her. "If that was my 'darker' side, then who are you?"_

_The double smiled brightly, reminding Jasmine of how she used to smile long ago, albeit with more wisdom deep within her eyes. _

_"I'm the middle ground. I take from both sides. Recognize that there is no one individual who is completely good or bad."_

_Jasmine sighed. "Vanitas is definitely pushing that idea."_

_"The point is Faye, you need to stop with this self-destructive behavior. Your family, friends, and loved ones like Riku are worried about you. Show them that you haven't completely fallen and that you're not going to turn into some crazed, psychotic bitch because of your circumstances."_

_Jasmine's lips pulled into a small smile. There was finally a glimmer of hope in this dark fog. _

_"Ready to go back up and change some things?" The other Jasmine held out her hand. _

_Jasmine stared at the hand, then the face of her double, back to the hand and once more at the other Jasmine in front of her. She took hold of her hand and squeezed it tightly._

* * *

When Jasmine woke up, it was nearly three in the morning. Her phone was vibrating incessantly and the only light in the room came from the full moon out and up above.

_"Ready to go back and change some things?" _The voice of her other rang through her head.

For the first time in months, Jasmine smiled genuinely and glanced at the Mickey Mouse doll on her bed.

"Time to get to work."


	49. Chapter 49: Bridge

**Author's Note: **Won't keep you guys long with some drawn out A/N. I wanna thank all those who read, faved this story and me, and alerted and subscribed. I wanna give a shout-out to my reviewers **Queen Micky, animechick247, ventus4ever, Frooky90, ShatterTheHeavens, Lazyxafternoons, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Kanika Meskhenet, MikaUchiha666, Hitomi Kogure, crying sage, Amaya-vamp **and **Khaotic Kal. **Thanks so much you guys. I hope you enjoy this chapter and tell me what you think! Take care!

**-**Skye

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. I only own the OCs.

* * *

Demyx stared at the statistics on the papers handed before him and grimaced. "This can't be happening," he moaned, tossing himself on his sofa. "This can't be happening to me!"

Jasmine, who was sitting cross legged on the other sofa in front of him, grinned cheerfully.

The blond musician tossed the papers into the air. "I don't know whether to hug you, or crawl into a corner." He pointed a finger in her face. "You knocked me out of the top ten on the island charts!" Demyx yelled. "You beat me!"

Jasmine chuckled good-naturedly. "Demyx, you were number one for months, and then the top five after that. Why are you beating yourself up?"

Demyx snatched the remote off the table and skimmed through the channels until he came to a station that kept up with the latest in music news. "Because now I need to come up with an amazing single to beat out _both_ of yours," he replied. "Listen."

On the screen was a woman reporting the latest in music from the newer singles, drama between band members and other such information. There on the screen flashed a rankings list of the top songs being played on the islands and both of Jasmine's singles were at the top with the single "Labyrinth" being number one for three weeks straight.

"The biggest surprise," the cheery reporter began, "came from recently-signed artist Faye "Jasmine" Silva who dominated the charts for her two singles. Faye originally stared in one of Demyx's singles as a background dancer and eventually moved up to being a featured artist on his latest single _Heartbreakers_."

"Look! My career is going down the drain!" Demyx sighed dramatically.

"Many were initially skeptical of the shy newcomer and whether or not she was the real deal as her vocals seemed a bit unreal for a seventeen year old girl but she proved everyone wrong with two songs that have taken Demyx off the charts. With her uniquely angelic, strong and yet edgy voice accompanied with her mastery of the piano, this young girl might be the next powerhouse of the music industry."

Demyx covered his face with his pillow. "You've ruined me."

Jasmine smiled ruefully and tapped the blonde's shoulder. "I didn't ruin anyone. Stop being so dramatic."

Just then, Demyx sprang up and wrapped his arms around Jasmine. "I'm so proud of you though! I loved both your singles." He pointed to an iPod on the table nearby. "I loaded them up the day they went out! I actually spent money when I could've gotten them for free from Angela. That's how much I loved them."

Jasmine blushed at this and returned the hug. "Thanks Demyx. You're really helped me out a lot." She returned to her own individual sofa across from him and sat on her knees. "I'm really grateful."

Demyx grinned. "Don't thank me. You're the one who charmed and worked your way into the industry."

"It also didn't hurt that Angela and I both happened to want coffee at the same time," she laughed.

"I only knew about "Labyrinth" but you didn't tell me about "Anthem" at all," Demyx started. "I didn't even know about it."

She scratched her cheek. "Yeah, that one I kinda banged out on my own. I'm sure my keyboard at home hates me now."

"It was absolutely sick! I loved it You're gonna have to break it down for me. Tell me, what was going on when you wrote that one out."

Jasmine placed her hands on her knees. "'Anthem' is about wanting to rebel against everyone who has ever tried to bring them down and showing them that what they see as weakness might actually be your greatest strength and that eventually they'll be the ones to fall."

"Someone is winning here," Demyx grinned. "It had more of a rock edge—which I absolutely loved 'cause you can pull it off—and it really calls out to a wider audience besides the pop fans. I think you'll do well." Demyx watched as Jasmine flipped her braid over her shoulder. "What happened to your engagement ring?"

She pulled a chain hanging around her neck from under her t-shirt and the ring hung over her chest. "I'm not wearing it on my hand anymore."

Demyx raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what did the jerk do now?" Ever since Jasmine had told him the tiny bit of information that she did, Demyx took an instant dislike to Vanitas.

"Nothing yet," she crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't when I work or have interviews, but I refuse to wear it period."

"I'm sure he loves that," Demyx chuckled.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really care whether he likes it or not. I'm still seventeen. He should be ashamed of himself to be quite honest."

"So are you still working on a way to break the marriage off?" Demyx noticed that Jasmine seemed a lot more cheerful than she had been of late. Something was different. "Why does it feel like you're growing out of that funk you were in for months?"

Jasmine smiled apologetically. "Was I really _that _terrible?"

"Not to me," Demyx explained, "but I did notice a change."

She sighed heavily. "I'm not planning on going back to that. I'm just going to take the good from the bad and push forward. I still am working on getting out of this engagement, but I'm going to go about it differently. Technically I SHOULD be at his apartment now, but I'd rather spend time elsewhere."

Demyx laughed. "Oh I bet he's pissed. He's not getting his daily dose of Jasmine, eh?"

Jasmine smirked. "I know what he wants to do but I'm not going over there. He can just deal."

"I'm liking the new/old Jasmine. Let's hope you don't drive him TOO crazy," Demyx teased.

"Are you serious? This is Vanitas," Jasmine rolled her eyes at the next statement, "he's crazy enough as it is. I'm not sure it can get any worse."

* * *

Tifa hung up the phone while sitting at a table and sighed. Trying to get custody over Jasmine was becoming quite a trying task.

Yuffie popped up from a couch in the living room and skipped over to the dining room table, taking a seat next to her stressed-out friend.

"How did it go?"

"It's like I'm being led in circles," Tifa sighed, staring at the paperwork in front of her. "Because of the laws of the island it'll be nearly impossible to get custody of Jasmine because she's so close to being of a legal age."

Yuffie frowned. "That's no good," she kicked her feet on the table and leaned back, "we've got to figure out a way to fix this ASAP. It's already November, Tifa. We have until March and that's not that much time."

The older woman tapped her fingers against the tabletop. "If I can get a hold of Jasmine before she turns eighteen, then it won't matter what her parents threaten her with. She'll be with me and she won't have to marry Vanitas."

"He is kind of hot," Yuffie admitted. She frowned a few seconds later, "but there's something weird about that kid." Her eyes met with Tifa's. "You know Zack is still livid, right?"

Tifa nodded. "Aerith called me last night and said that Zack flipped when he saw the wedding invitation even though he already knew what was going on. He was muttering something about murder in the background…"

Yuffie smacked a hand on the table, almost falling back in the chair as she did so. "That's 'cause she shouldn't be getting married in the first place!" She pouted then. "I miss Riku. Now _that_ was someone who I could see her marrying! Now they can't even be together…" She rested her chin on the table next to the phone. "What a twisted love story this turned into…I'm telling you, she should write a novel with all the mess going on in her life."

Tifa chuckled before reaching for a glass of water. "I'll say."

"By the way, where is Cloud?"

"He knows a couple of lawyers and he's trying to figure out other options," Tifa answered.

It didn't take long for a grin to paint itself on Yuffie's face. "Oh," she trailed off, "I see…"

"What are you going on about now? I didn't say anything earning _that _face."

"Cloud practically lives here now," Yuffie pointed out, "and he and Jasmine interact….a little bit."

"So what does that mean? He actually likes Jasmine because they're kind of similar," Tifa explained. "Kind of."

Yuffie's grin did not disappear. "Who are you kidding Tifa? This is like the home he's never had. You cannot deny that you don't love having him around!"

Tifa rolled her eyes. "Of course I love having him around. He's my friend."

The short-haired woman groaned and jumped from her seat. "Tifa! You need to cut this out! The denial thing is not working for you anymore." Upon noticing the blank stare on Tifa's face, Yuffie continued. "Think about it! Jasmine will be gone after this year. I hope she'll stay on the island but the point is she's getting older. When are you going to find your own happiness? Huh?" Yuffie was now pleading with her. "You deserve it more than anyone else."

Tifa remained silent and wrapped a strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't know what you're talking about, Yuffie. I'm perfectly happy with the way things are."

"Because Cloud is back!" Yuffie now shouted. "I don't remember seeing you this happy except for when Jasmine came to live here. Do yourself a favor and talk to him." Yuffie then waltzed over to the refrigerator, searching for a can of soda. "_Unless _you want me to take out the time to hook you two up…"

"No!" Tifa's face turned pink. "Let me handle my own affairs, will you?"

Yuffie shrugged and closed the refrigerator door with her hip, now holding two takeout boxes, a bottle of soda and a piece of cake. "If I don't see some romantic-ness between you two soon, Aerith and I may have to take matters into our own hands. You don't wanna see your daughter get married before you, do ya?"

It didn't seem possible, but Tifa's pale skin now turned fire engine red. "Don't you have some of my food to eat or something?"

* * *

Vanitas hung up the phone and scowled as he drove. 'How dare she not even show up to the apartment after I told her to.'

Jasmine had been around less and less for the past few weeks going off to do whatever she pleased without even talking to him first. And when she was around, she kept at least three feet of distance between the two as they talked about their plan. Every advance he made on her, she refused him every single time. To top it all off, Vanitas noticed that she no longer wore her engagement ring on her finger but on a necklace.

Vanitas watched for her street. He was going to have to have a talk with her about her behavior as of late. Tifa would not be home so this would be the perfect time for them to discuss their future together.

After he pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine, Vanitas headed up the steps. As he thought, no one else seemed to be home but her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a spare key to Tifa's house. When Jasmine was asleep one morning during the summer when she often stayed at his place, he found her keys clipped to her jeans and had her house key made just in case he needed it.

Vanitas slid the key into the key hole and gently pushed open the door. Once inside, he locked it behind him.

Light footsteps came through from the back of the house.

"Tifa? I didn't think you were going to be home so soon," Jasmine said cheerfully, walking down the stairs wearing a heavy white bathrobe with her wet hair pushed over to one shoulder. However, as her eyes discovered that she was now staring Vanitas, she had replaced her cheery expression with one that was more tight and controlled with a slight bit of interest.

"Vanitas," Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest, "how did you get in here and to what do I owe this visit to?"

Vanitas set his keys down on the entryway table and walked over to Jasmine with a less than pleased expression on his face. "Where the hell were you?"

Jasmine coiled her fingers in her hair. "I was in the shower which would explain why I'm wet and wearing a background."

Vanitas advanced on her and, as usual, she kept space between them by backing up. "Don't play with me. You were supposed to be there at five. It's seven. What were you doing?"

"Contrary to popular belief Vanitas I actually have a life. I had to take care of some _personal _ business of my own. My singles don't write themselves you know," she replied, sounding completely disinterested.

Her lack of caring was making Vanitas more irritated but he did not show it. Instead he snatched Jasmine by her bathrobe sash and tugged her to him. For some reason, Jasmine was unfazed and he did not know what to make of it. In the past when Vanitas approached Jasmine he could easily see the panic in her eyes, the defeat and in some cases, wanting. Now he saw nothing but a bit of mischief and confidence.

"What's wrong, Vanitas? Can't you see that your fiancée is busy too?"

Vanitas struggled with trying to calm himself down. She had never been this bold to his face before and while he still admired her for it, he wanted to continue to have control.

"Keep this in mind," Vanitas warned her, lowering his voice. "You belong to me and I still expect you to behave."

Jasmine giggled. She knew full well that she had irritated Vanitas and he was trying his best to hide it. In a sick way, it brought her joy.

"I don't 'belong to you' officially until we say 'I do' at the altar, Vanitas. While I will honor our deal, I'd appreciate it if you didn't come at me so aggressively. Do you understand me?" Jasmine walked away and Vanitas' hand slipped. "So, what's the news with my father now? Last I heard, he invested over half a million dollars into some random computer company _no one _has even heard of." She tightened the sash on her bathrobe and leaned forward against the counter. "What's going on? Does he know how insane that is?"

Vanitas pulled up a barstool next to him and sat down. "They're set up to be a very powerful computer programming corporation in the future. The trick is to catch them now while they're still young."

"Are you sure it's wise for the two of you to be investing so much into one company? I know you naturally have wealth, but be logical here."

"Jasmine, we're trying to buy out the companies your father has invested in," Vanitas reasoned with her tiredly. "He's throwing everything into these projects and soon he won't have a penny to his name. You and I will walk away richer than ever. Besides, you're the one who picked out the companies we're investing in. Are you having second thoughts here?"

Jasmine wiped her glasses off on the sleeve of her bathrobe. "I'm just telling you to be careful. When we're married, I'm not trying to be in debt up to my ears trying to bail you out."

Vanitas smirked. "What makes you think I'll allow myself to get into such a position? Keep in mind who you're talking to."

"That's right," Jasmine did not move when Vanitas hopped off the stool and wrapped his arms around her waist, "I almost forgot."

Vanitas lowered his face and kissed Jasmine's cheek. "Don't. Now…" His eyes wandered to the stairs then back to the girl in front of him. "How about we go upstairs and relax? It's been a long day."

Jasmine knew exactly what he was talking about. "We wouldn't be _relaxing _Vanitas and you know it. And in any case, Tifa will be home in an hour."

Vanitas pulled Jasmine even closer and kissed her all over her face. "I don't care. It's been a while."

"Yes it has," Jasmine pushed him back. "But I just got out of the shower and I have a lot of homework to do. You don't want an idiot fiancée, do you?"

She stood on her toes and stole his lips in a deep, yet teasing kiss. Jasmine held his face in her hands and smirked, noting that she could almost taste the desire coming from Vanitas. When she broke the kiss, she could feel his heart pounding against his chest. "Now, we have a lot of work to do on the wedding this weekend." She kissed him again. "Which means I'll have to stay at your apartment for the weekend; do you think you can manage it for a little while longer?" Jasmine ran an index finger across his bottom lip.

"The entire weekend?" Vanitas pondered out loud. 'The things we could do in an entire weekend.' Once her hands were now at her sides, he answered. "That's fine. I'll pick you up from school. I'll tell your father that something came up."

"Perfect," she grinned and kissed him once more. "Now you should leave. I have to get back to my work."

Vanitas rolled his eyes right in front of Jasmine, who merely replied to it with a grin. "I'll call you later," he said curtly.

Once he had left through the front door and Jasmine heard his car drive off, she allowed herself the chance to laugh.

"It's like he's doing all the work for me," she told herself, locking the front door behind him and heading up the stairs. "I love it.


	50. Chapter 50: Thoughts and Actions

**Author's Note: **You guys ready? This is the start of the conclusion to the story. I'm so excited! I won't bore you with a long author's note but I do want to thank everyone who has been reading thus far. I wanna give thanks to the readers, those who fave, those who alert and a shout out to the reviewers **ventus4ever, animechick247, ShatterTheHeavens, Princess Nexda the Wise, Frooky90, Lazyxafternoons, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Queen Micky, crying sage, Khaotic Kal, **and **Hitomi Kogure.** All of you guys are awesome for the support!

Well I won't keep you. Tell me what you think and I'll try and get this next chapter out as soon as possible. Take care! Btw the last two sections of the chapter were inspired by the song "Mirrors" by Natalia Kills. Give the song a listen. It's pretty cool!

-Skye

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Heart or Final Fantasy. I only own the OCs.

* * *

Naminé, Jasmine and Sofia entered the bridal shop early one Saturday morning.

Jasmine's mother looked over her shoulder. "Weren't you supposed to be visiting my future son this weekend?"

Jasmine shrugged. "I figured that looking at my wedding gown was more important than hanging out."

Sofia sighed, pulling her purse close to her side. "You two can wait right here, I need to make sure that the place is empty." She gave Naminé a small smile before heading to the front desk.

Naminé and Jasmine took a seat near the windows. The blond whispered to Jasmine, "Why is it so empty here? Shouldn't there be other people?"

Jasmine leaned over. "We don't want the public to know that I'm getting married. At this age, it'll ruin my reputation for sure and bouncing back with a clean image might be close to impossible."

"So we have the _whole _place to ourselves?"

"Yeah. Vanitas paid them off to close down for a few hours," Jasmine replied, shifting in the stiff chair.

Naminé hesitated at first. "Your plans with Vanitas fell through? Was it some kind of date?"

"It was," Jasmine snickered a bit, "but I changed plans. I'm sure he's pissed beyond recognition but I don't care."

Sofia returned with the manager and an assistant. "Jasmine, are you ready?"

Jasmine pulled herself out of the chair and linked arms with Naminé. "Not at all," she replied curtly, "But we need to get this done." She brushed past her mother and smiled at the assistants. "Thank you all for closing down for a few hours. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this."

The younger sales associate reached out to shake Jasmine's hand, smiling brightly. "Oh no problem Ms. Silva! It's an honor to meet you! I'm a huge fan."

Jasmine shook the young woman's hand, blushing slightly at the complement. "You flatter me, really. And you've signed the confidentiality contract, right?"

The manager stepped forward. "Your fiancée has the contract with both signatures where they need to be. Everything is set. Now…" She led Jasmine, Naminé and a clearly-irritated Sofia into the gallery, "we've set out a variety of our best gowns for you and your maid of honor." She stepped aside. "Please, look around."

The trio broke off and looked at the elegant gowns hand-picked for Jasmine. Some ranged from simple to complicated, some form-fitting to lose, and some from dramatic to classic. They had been looking for at least ten minutes on their own.

Naminé had managed to drag Jasmine down an aisle, away from her mother and the eyes of the sale's associates.

"I can't believe you're really going through with this," Naminé said sadly.

Jasmine smiled ruefully. "It's December. This has to happen. Which reminds me," she trailed off, "Vanitas caved and said that the bridesmaids can wear gold. After we get my dress situation sorted out, it's up to you to pick the dresses everyone else will wear."

"But," Naminé disregarded the statement about the dresses. What she had to say was more important. "Are you sure there's no way out of the wedding? You _don't_ love him."

"I know," Jasmine said casually, "but I'm not going to fight with my mother right now."

"Does she know you don't want to be with Vanitas?"

"I've definitely let her know that from the day of the engagement. But now she's been blocking me out. I think she's tired of arguing. I swear it's like he's the son she always wanted and never had," Jasmine rolled her eyes.

"Jasmine," Sofia began, ushering her daughter and friend to one dress in particular, "what do you think of this?"

Jasmine and Naminé stood in front of a mannequin. The dress was gorgeous, that much was for sure. But had Jasmine been searching for her wedding gown years later, away from the influence of her parents and actually marrying the man she loved, she might have actually been more enthusiastic about the dress.

The older manager held at least five gowns in her arms and directed Jasmine toward a dressing room. "We've got quite a few gowns so we can figure out which direction we need to be heading in. Try these on."

Jasmine broke away from Naminé and stepped into the dressing room with an assistant. "Here goes nothing."

* * *

"Sir," Vexen said with a slight sneer, "I told you that tramp is a pain."

Vexen and Vanitas sat at a restaurant eating lunch on the patio overlooking the ocean.

Vanitas did not bother to hide his ire at the point. "First off," he warned Vexen dangerously, "you will NOT call her that."

Vexen immediately stiffened at the threat. The anger in Vanitas' eyes was clear and Vexen did not want to test his luck with his partner in such a foul mood.

"Secondly," Vanitas cleared his throat and drank his tea, "I'm going to ask you to stay out of my affairs when it comes to my fiancée. It's none of your concern."

"But, Sir, it is my concern when the person I am working with is in a rut because he cannot control one girl," Vexen said boldly.

Vanitas glared at Vexen darkly. If it was at all possible in the cool December weather, the air around Vanitas chilled even more. Vexen shrank in his seat. The power of Vanitas' glare was insane.

"I'll deal with Jasmine later," Vanitas stared off into the ocean. 'When I get my hands on her…' He did not allow himself a chance to dwell on the thought any longer. "Have we finished with Mr. Silva?"

Vexen nodded. "Indeed. We have successfully drained his savings account. But we have to be careful. We don't want anything showing up where he notices what we've been doing."

"And what about his other accounts?"

The blond pulled out a folder and read through it. "We're leaving the one where he's paying for his daughter's wedding alone for now. I had no idea he cared so much for her to have a separate account to pay for her schooling and wedding."

"How much is in there?" Vanitas' curiosity had been stirred.

"It's a quarter shy of a million dollars," Vexen answered.

Vanitas' eyes widened. "Well what do you know? Maybe he does care for her. Too bad she's already rejected him thoroughly."

"And what do you want to do with _that_ account?"

"Leave it alone," Vanitas said.

Vexen was confused. "Are you sure you want that, Sir?"

"I don't want an idiot on my arm," Vanitas called over a waiter for another drink, "I'd pay for her education myself but seeing as the money is already there, leave it be."

"And you want her to be even MORE educated now? It's quite clear that the girl is not ecstatic over the wedding. Why not teach her a lesson and take hold of her money? If I were you, I'd watch out for her."

"And you think Jasmine is going to one day screw me over?" Vanitas scoffed. "She's not _that_ smart." Yet despite the proclamation Vanitas was still unsure of himself on that one. 'I'm still ahead of her,' he told himself. 'She won't get to me. I won't let that happen.'

* * *

Jasmine stood in the dressing room with the phone pressed to her ear.

"Are you sure it's set up?" She asked in a hushed, serious voice. "You have no idea how much this is helping me."

"Jasmine," her mother cried out, "are you done?"

'Looks like I'll be seeing a lot of red soon,' Jasmine thought.

She hung up the phone and sighed. This was the twentieth wedding dress she tried on that day. Between changing out from gown to gown with its own set of undergarments, Jasmine was tired. She walked carefully in the gown and opened the door, stepping out in front of the entire group.

"Well," she said bashfully, "what do you think?"

The entire room fell silent.

"Jasmine," Naminé beamed, "you look amazing."

Sofia's eyes began to tear up. She was speechless.

"I must say," the assistant said with a smile of approval, "many brides have tried that gown on and no one has looked better in it than you have. That's a fact."

Jasmine mother and the workers went to the back, chatting about accessories and such, leaving Naminé and Jasmine alone.

The dark-haired girl waited until they all left before falling to her knees, refusing to look at her reflection in the mirror.

Naminé rushed to her side, placing her hands on her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

"I thought I'd be okay through this part," Jasmine admitted, clutching the dress, "that it wouldn't hit me. But I'll probably be married before the school year is over. I don't think I can go through with this but I have to."

Naminé gave Jasmine's shoulders a squeeze. "We're trying to think of something. We're not gonna let you get married to someone you don't love."

Naminé's cell phone vibrated in her pocket.

Jasmine forced a smile. "I'm fine. I'm just gonna change out of my clothes, okay?"

Naminé nodded and rushed to her purse, taking the phone call outside.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Jasmine finally looked at her reflection. "Looks like I don't have that much time left," she said sadly.

* * *

Riku, Sora and Roxas stood in the latter's bedroom.

"She's up to something," Roxas broke through the silence first.

Sora shifted through the photos he had taken over the past few days. In one shot, it was Jasmine having lunch with Vanitas. Both of them were looking through something that didn't appear to be related with the wedding. Then there was another shot of her meeting with someone at a bank. Jasmine appeared to be smiling in the photograph and was handed a yellow envelope.

"How do you know she's not doing anything with the record company?" Sora inquired. "I mean, she does handle a lot of her own business, right?"

Riku shook his head. "My mom has taken a lot of control over Jasmine's affairs as of late to keep her from stressing."

"I can sense it," Roxas set the photos into a pile. "Something's changed."

"About what?" This came from Sora.

"About Jasmine," Roxas answered. "It feels like," he paused in an attempt to put his thoughts into words, "she's doing better now but that there's something she's sad about."

"Probably the marriage," Sora told them. "Jasmine does not hide the fact that she doesn't want to get married. I mean, would you be happy if you were in her situation?"

Roxas sighed. "I get that, but there's something else. Like, something bad is gonna happen."

Riku tensed up. "Why don't we just confront her about it?"

"No good," Sora's head drooped.

Riku balled his fist. "And why not?"

Sora stepped out and put his arms over his chest. "If something bad is going to happen," he then looked to Roxas, "and we don't have proof of that yet, but she wouldn't tell us because she wouldn't want us to get involved. Jasmine, if she can avoid it totally, will NOT put anyone in a position where they'll get hurt."

Roxas took a seat in a chair near the window. He appeared to be deep in thought as if there was something he was trying to remember.

"What is it, Roxas?" Sora inquired.

The blond hesitated at first. "She's been with Axel a lot lately."

Sora and Riku looked at each other in confusion. "Axel?" Riku questioned.

"I didn't know they were friends," Sora stated.

"They were always cool," he glanced at Riku before continuing as if he was looking for permission to say this next statement, "that's how it was even before me and her started dating."

"Why is she with Axel? How do you know this?"

Roxas answered Sora's questions tiredly. "Because they_ are_ friends and because he's my best friend. I've seen them together a couple of times going out to eat and him pass by her house. One time especially," Roxas cleared his throat, "I went to go see her because she was out of school for an interview and dropped off her homework. When I walked up the steps, I heard voices in the house. One of them was Axel."

"Then what?" Sora knew that Roxas stumbled upon something.

Slowly and carefully Roxas explained. "I heard Axel telling Jasmine, 'You need to be careful. This won't end well,' and Jasmine told him, 'I know what I'm getting into. If it comes to that, you know what to do' and then the door flew open and Axel was walking out." Roxas finished by saying, "He was totally normal as if nothing had happened and just left."

"They're not just hanging out," Riku realized.

"So what's the next step?" Sora stretched out, ready to go do whatever he had to do.

"Talk to Axel," Roxas proposed. "It's the only way we can figure out what's really going on."

Riku leaned on the desk. He could feel it. They were one step closer to the truth. "Make the call."

* * *

Jasmine sat on the very bench where she had told Riku her first name a year ago, watching the waves crash against the rocks. She laughed hollowly. A year ago she never expected her life to have taken such an unexpected turn.

"You know," Riku's voice came out of the distance and he rounded a corner, walking towards her with a slow yet confident stride, "a year ago you thought I would have dumped your body somewhere."

She smiled a bit at the memory. She wished dearly that she could go back to those days.

"It's still a possibility you know," Jasmine said, scooting over so that Riku could sit down with her.

Riku laughed. "I'd never do that," he said. "Even though back then you used to get under my skin."

"That's because I didn't fall for your charm or looks," Jasmine crossed her legs. "Admit it."

Riku was silent for a moment. "You're only half right." He paused. "You were also a smart ass."

Jasmine grinned. "Glad you remember the _good _stuff." She glanced at the scarf hanging around Riku's neck. "You still have that thing?"

"Of course. I hate the cold weather and your scarf does the trick," Riku shivered and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Well it's yours now. Hopefully it'll keep you warm."

Riku yawned. He had fallen asleep waiting for Roxas to talk to Axel. The only thing that woke him up was a call from Jasmine.

_"Hey Riku, what are you up to?"_

_He glanced at his clock. "Nothing as of yet. Why?"_

_She sighed on the other end of the line. "Want to go on a friend date?"_

Riku answered "yes" so readily even though seeing her nowadays killed him. What if she actually ended up marrying Vanitas? What if she moved away for their friends, her family? From him? "What did you do today?" He asked, ignoring his thoughts and enjoying the time they had together.

Jasmine stiffened but refused to get down about her situation. "I looked at wedding gowns."

The air suddenly became thick and heavy.

"Oh," Riku muttered. Surprisingly, a smile appeared. "I'm sure you'll look beautiful in anything you wear."

"Thanks," Jasmine said politely. "I just wish that none of this was happening. I'm not ready to get married. Not to him."

"My offer still stands," Riku announced.

Jasmine exhaled. "I'm not going to let you ruin your life by running away. Besides I'm still a minor."

Riku scoffed. "And you're engaged to someone over twenty one."

Jasmine let the statement sink in. "Point taken." She shook away the thought. "But the point is Riku, I would not let you mess up your life for me." Jasmine looked at him with concern. "I just want you to be happy."

"Faye, I've never been happier since you moved to the island. If you're gone, I'm not going to be happy."

Jasmine refused to meet his stare. "You were happy before we met. Try to go back to that. Besides we're graduating soon. You're going off to school. You said you wanted to be a director like your father. Pursue it. Eventually you will find happiness there."

"But you make it sound as if you won't be around at that time," Riku then asked, "what's going on?"

Jasmine smiled slightly then. "I'm just finally taking control." She placed her hand on his knee. "You should talk to your dad. We finished the video for the song. I think you'll like it." She stood up then.

"Why did you call me here?" Riku asked finally.

She felt her eyes stinging. The tears were sure to come. "I wanted to see you again back at the place where we really began." Jasmine held out her left hand and there on her ring finger was the ring he gave her the day they confessed their feelings. "I shouldn't even be here with you like this, but I guess I'm selfish. I'm sorry."

"Faye, what are you planning? We know you're up to something," Riku said sternly. "Tell me what's going on."

"I hope you'll be proud of the video and of me," she said dismissively. "I'm not the same girl who came here a year ago."

"Are you going to get hurt?" He demanded, standing up now. "If you don't say something right now..."

Riku was cut off when Jasmine took a step toward him and kissed his cheek before throwing her arms tightly around him, burying her face in his chest. "I knew you guys were following me the whole time. I'm not sure if you've been up to it in the past few days or week but I knew it the entire time. It's okay though. It just means you all really do care. I appreciate it." She pulled back. "I've got to help Tifa out. I can't stay."

"But we just got here," he protested, stroking her hair off her face.

She pursed her lips and chuckled. "We really did, huh?" Jasmine turned on her heel and walked back. Before she was gone, she looked back at Riku and smiled. "I love you." And with that she was gone.

'She still doesn't listen to me,' Riku shook his head, frustration clear on his face. If things were as bad as they seemed, Jasmine might be in serious trouble and despite his best efforts, he might not be able to help her.

'Please don't leave me...'

* * *

"Yes!" Yuffie cheered while everyone sat at the dining room table.

"Did you find something?" Aerith asked, coming from the kitchen.

The cheerful young woman jumped out of her chair. "We can take her parents to court next week! I've done a bit of research and Tifa can get custody of Jasmine if the parents are unfit - which they clearly are - and with the guy Cloud knows, Tifa's got this in the bag!"

Tifa smiled in satisfaction. This had been a long event for the past few months. It was nice to finally see things working out.

"Where is Jasmine?" Zack asked, typing away on his laptop.

As if on cue, Jasmine came down the stairs wearing dark stockings, black pumps and a trenchcoat covering her outfit.

"What's up?" She asked, tucking her phone into her pocket.

Zack jumped up. "Good news kid, we have a strong enough case to take your parents to court and stop this wedding. Tifa will probably have custody over you. Isn't that great?"

Jasmine only smiled enough to make it seem as if she were excited. "That's wonderful news actually." She came over to the group and hugged everyone from Zack, Aerith, Yuffie and Tifa. Cloud had only walked in the door and was shocked to find the girl embracing him.

"You're in a good mood," Aerith noticed a change in Jasmine. "By the way, where are you going?"

"To see Vanitas," Jasmine released Cloud and walked over to Tifa and hugged her once more. "Just tying up some loose ends."

Zack frowned. "You know I don't like you seeing him."

"I know Zack," Jasmine wrapped her arms around Tifa's shoulders. "But this is business. It has to be done." She pulled out her keys. "I'll see you guys later."

Tifa's maternal instincts kicked in as Jasmine began walking away. "I want you home in a couple of hours." Something didn't seem right.

"I'll do my best," Jasmine called from the entryway. A car starting followed after a door slamming shut and she was gone.

Zack looked to Aerith. "What's wrong?"

Aerith's eyes narrowed. "I don't have a good feeling about this."

"You feel it too?" Tifa asked, equally concerned.

The brunette nodded. She turned to Zack. "Let's stay until Jasmine comes home, okay?"

Zack looked to Yuffie who was equally confused. "I don't get it. If she says she'll be back, she's coming back."

"I just have a feeling something bad is going to happen," Aerith explained.

Cloud walked into the room and rested a hand on Tifa's shoulders. "I'll stay too."

Tifa covered his hand with one of her own. "Thanks, Cloud." She was happy that he already knew what she was thinking. It spared her from having to outwardly express herself, especially when she was on edge like she was now.

'Be careful, Jasmine.'

* * *

Vanitas threw his stuff down as he entered his apartment. Strangely though, on this night, he was exceptionally tired. Dealing with Vexen, Mr. Silva and Jasmine (albeit indirectly) was mentally exhausting.

He stopped in the doorway and sniffed the air. There was a familiar fragrance in the area, one that he had grown to recognize almost immediately.

Vanitas walked into the dining room and spotted Jasmine sitting on the table drinking something from a wine glass.

"Well isn't this a surprise," he said with a slightly harder edge than expected. "What are you doing here?"

Jasmine smiled then before taking another sip of (what one would assume) was wine. "We were supposed to spend the weekend together so here I am."

Vanitas held his composure. "How did you get into the apartment?"

"Oh, the doorman recognized me. I showed him the ring and said I wanted to surprise my future husband."

'I don't know whether to have him fired or not,' Vanitas thought, deciding to take care of that later. "So what do I owe this visit?"

Jasmine sashayed over to Vanitas with a full glass of wine in her hand. "I just told you why I'm here." She kissed his cheek and then made her way into his office with him following behind. Jasmine sat on the desk, set her own glass down and then crossed her legs. "I thought you wanted to spend time together."

"You keep pulling this disappearing act on me," Vanitas said harshly.

"For the wedding, that's why," she told him simply. "But I said we could have a weekend." Jasmine reached forward and pulled him forward by his tie. "And I'm keeping up with my end of the deal."

Vanitas recognized the passionate stare in her eyes. They were so hungry. She never looked at him in that way before. It excited and unnerved him at the same time. "What do you want?"

Jasmine told him to drink and he did so. She finished the remainder of her glass and slowly stripped him of his blazer all the while never tearing her eyes from his. As Jasmine went to work with his tie, she kissed his jawline all the way down to his neck with the same hunger and aggression she had in her eyes.

Vanitas was taken back by Jasmine's behavior. Not once has she ever been this forward or willing for that matter. His mind was clouding in a fog of desire and the only thing that snapped him out of his daze was when Jasmine had stood up and pushed him back on the couch in his office to where he was lying on his back.

Jasmine walked over and was now straddling him. She tossed her coat off to the side, revealing herself in the exact same dress she had been wearing the day she met Vanitas.

"Is that - ?" He was cut off when Jasmine placed a hand over his mouth.

"Shut up," she snapped. For the briefest moment, anger flashed in her eyes. "And yes it is the same dress." The anger disappeared, now replaced by the same hunger in her eyes Vanitas was caught off guard by initially. "You're not going anywhere tomorrow that has to do with business. I've already cancelled everything you have to do. As a matter of fact," She reached into the pocket of his slacks and pulled out the keys, sliding off Vanitas and rushing out the door, tossing the keys somewhere in the living room. Like she had anticipated, he followed. "You're not going anywhere _period_."

Vanitas snaked his arms around Jasmine from the back. "I don't know what's gotten into you," he nibbled on her neck and pushed her hair over to the other side, "but I love it."

Jasmine whipped around and silenced him by locking him in a breathtaking kiss. She grabbed his belt and led him backwards into the bedroom. "Don't say anything," she said between breaths. Once inside, she locked the bedroom door. "You're gonna ruin it."

Vanitas lifted Jasmine into the air and set her on the bed. Before returning her kiss with one of his own, he hopped off the bed, hovering over her and pinning her arms above her head. He looked for any sign of fear, anger, anything that resembled the girl he had taken not so long ago. He flipped off the light beside his bed and allowed their bodies to do the talking for the rest of the night.

* * *

Jasmine's eyes creaked open as soon as she was sure Vanitas was sound asleep. She feigned sleep for at least an hour, making sure that he himself took the hint and went to bed as well. Jasmine smiled. All that work Angela put her through to act in front of a camera was finally paying off. She sat up in the bed, not bothering to cover herself at this point. It was three in the morning.

Vanitas was knocked out. Apparently he was exhausted. Jasmine smirked. 'Now stay asleep,' she closed her eyes, 'Forgive me Riku for what I've done.'

She stealthily rolled out of bed and over to the nightstand where she kept a backpack. She pulled out another set of underwear, jeans, combat boots and a simple black tank with a zip up hoodie. There was no time for a shower. If Vanitas woke up, everything would be ruined. She just hoped that he was as tired as he looked walking in the door. From that, the bottle of wine he killed on his own and the..._physical activity _he'd endured for the evening, he would surely stay out of it until at least seven o'clock in the morning.

Jasmine snuck into the living room where she threw the keys and picked them up. Now inside his office, after she turned on the desk lamp, she unlocked the bottom drawer where his files were. After sorting through at least two dozen folders, Jasmine smiled at the three she had discovered. She tip-toed back into the bedroom and stuffed them into her backpack with the clothes she had worn earlier.

Slipping on her glasses, she threw her backpack on her back and stared at Vanitas who was sleeping soundly. She pocketed his keys, glared at the figure wrapped in the sheets and headed out.

"Sweet dreams, _sweetheart_," she said darkly, locking the door behind him and heading out of the apartment.


	51. Chapter 51: Up in Flames

**Author's Comments:** I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter. Let me hurry and get on with this. Thanks for all the support. I wanna thank those who read, those who faved, those who alerted the story and give a shoutout to my reviewers** ventus4ever, animechick247, ShatterTheHeavens, MikaUchiha666, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Frooky90, Amaya-vamp, Princess Nexda the Wise, Khaotic Kal, Hitomi Kogure **and** Queen Micky.** I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Tell me what you think and take care!

-Skye

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. I only own the OCs.

* * *

Jasmine yawned and rubbed her eyes, straining to see in the dim light from a table lamp on Axel's coffee table. Ever since her "escape" she'd been working hard to study and take notes on the documents she stole from Vanitas. So far, everything she had suspected of him doing had checked out. All she had to do was make sure all her notes were intact before the festivities began.

Axel emerged from his bedroom at around five in the morning completely awake and alert despite the fact that it was so early.

"Have you been up the _entire_ time?" He asked, sounding rather surprised.

Jasmine nodded. "I was trying to figure out what he was hiding. I had an idea of what it was, but now that I have proof I wanna get the ball rolling on this little event." She looked up. "By the way, thanks for allowing me to crash here for a while."

Axel grinned. "Well I love a good scandal. This is the most excitement I've had in a long time."

"There's a reason you and Reno are related," Jasmine set aside several papers into a specific pile.

"Yeah, except I'm better looking and not as old as my lame brother," he quipped.

She shook her head. "Yup, you two are one in the same."

"Back to business though," Axel headed over and sat on a couch across from her, "is _he _still asleep?"

Jasmine glanced at her watch. "He should be. If Vanitas _was_ awake, I'm sure he would have called by now especially since I just left him at the apartment. He'd be livid."

Axel shrugged his shoulders. "He's not going to lay a hand on you as long as I'm breathing so he can be as pissed as he wants to be."

She smiled. Axel was exactly like Reno in how protective the latter was over her.

"Now, is my blockhead brother on his way?" Axel asked. "Is he in on everything?"

"Yeah," she answered, "him, Rude and Elena are all in this together with me. They'll leave my parents at around noon and meet up with me later."

"Your parents don't know what's going on, right?"

"No one knows what's going on besides you and Reno's group. By keeping other parties out of the loop there's a greater chance for things to go as planned," Jasmine tried to stifle her yawn. She hadn't had much sleep in days. Plotting, planning and scheming had drained her. However, she had to push forward. "By the way, Roxas and the group have been following me around. I need for them to steer clear away from me."

Axel cocked an eyebrow. "How do you know this?"

She peered from under her bangs and glasses. "I _know_ when I'm being followed. But that's beside the point. I need you to keep them away for a while."

"Roxas called me and left a voicemail," Axel announced. "He sounded really worried. He wanted to know what was going on."

Jasmine grabbed another folder. "I hope you didn't respond," she said flatly.

"You know he still loves you, right?" Axel brought up. "And no I didn't call him back."

"In a brother-sister type of love," Jasmine told him, "and it's great that he cares and all but this isn't something he needs to be involved in. People might get hurt."

Axel pointed to Jasmine. "Namely you, Cat Eyes."

This caught Jasmine's attention. "I know this already."

"Because when Vanitas finds out what you're doing—and I'm sure that what you've told me about him is true—that he's not gonna be too happy."

"And that's putting it mildly," she pushed the papers back, "I've already accepted what might happen. That's also why I approached you. You're the only one I trust to carry everything out."

"Let's say this all pans out and you manage to walk away free as a bird, what are you gonna do then?"

Jasmine sighed. "If I manage to walk away from this mess unscathed, that'll be a shocker. And I highly doubt I will."

"If you get hurt, your boyfriend, friends and family will be devastated."

She stared at the ring Riku gave her sitting on her ring finger. "The person you're referring to is not my boyfriend. I'm still Vanitas' fiancée. It doesn't matter that I hate him, I would never cheat on him. I'm still a girl of my honor."

Axel chuckled. "Says the girl who's about to turn his whole world upside down and wreck his life."

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "I'm setting things right. You know this."

Axel gave a heavy sigh. "It's not like Vanitas doesn't deserve it after everything you've told me. Even though I've never met him, I'll go on and agree with you that he's a controlling asshole."

Jasmine remembered the night Vanitas had blackmailed her after finding out she had been with Roxas. "He is," she said sourly, "and that's why I don't feel bad about what I'm doing."

"In any case, we have work to do." Axel stood up. "I'm gonna need for you to get _at least _five hours of sleep. I've got a feeling tomorrow, no, today is gonna be hell."

Before she could protest, Axel threw Jasmine over his shoulder and walked on over to one of the spare bedrooms, tossing her down on the bed. "Get a close to decent sleep and we'll head out to meet my brother." Axel headed out of the room. "And by the way, figure out something to do with your car. If you don't want to be found—and Roxas already knows we are working through something—I'd get rid of it. Knowing him he'd probably show up."

Jasmine didn't argue. She took off her glasses, setting them on the nightstand. "That's a good idea," she yawned again, falling asleep before she finished her sentence.

Axel laughed. "Reno wasn't kidding. She sure is full of surprises."

* * *

Tifa knocked on the door to Riku's home, frantically waiting for the door to open.

Angela was the one to answer the door. She smiled. "Hi, Tifa!" she greeted cheerfully. "How are you?" Upon closer examination of Tifa's face, Angela knew something was wrong. "Come in," she hurried the young woman inside.

Once Tifa was in the entryway, she wasted no time in explaining what was going on. "Jasmine didn't come home last night," Tifa told her urgently. "We tried calling her phone but there was no answer. This isn't like her at all."

Angela's eyes widened. She spotted her husband and pulled him aside.

"Hey Tifa..." he caught the distressed looks on both his wife and Tifa's faces. "What's going on?" Riku's father inquired.

"Jasmine is missing," Angela told him.

His eyes widened. "For how long? What happened?"

Tifa shook her head. "Jasmine said she was going to visit her fiancée and that she'd be back within a few hours. But she never came home last night and no one can get in contact with her."

"She's gone?" A male voice said in surprise.

The group of people turned to the stairs where Riku stood, eyes wild. He ran down the stairs and Tifa met him at the bottom.

"Have you seen her?" Tifa asked once more, this time a new sense of urgency in her voice. "I thought she might be here with you."

Riku put his hands on Tifa's shoulders. "No she isn't. I saw her yesterday for a bit." He cleared his throat. He knew something was wrong when they met up yesterday at the beach. It seemed too much like a goodbye. A permanent one. "I'll call everyone and we'll start looking for her."

Tifa sighed. The stress was clear on her face. "Thank you, Riku."

"Could she still be with Vanitas?" Angela offered.

"I called him but no one answered at his place," Tifa responded, breaking away from Riku. "If you hear from her, please let me know. We have to find her."

Angela walked over and held Tifa's hands. "We'll do all we can. Riku," she called out, "try calling her and if she doesn't answer, get your friends and find her."

Tifa bowed her head. "Thank you so much." She dashed out the door and shut it behind her.

"I knew it," Angela frowned, "it's that boy she's engaged to." She began to pace around the area with her husband following her.

Riku's father followed. "We don't know anything happened yet. Let's at least make a few phone calls and see if we can't get in contact with her. If not," his tone darkened, "we'll have security go after her."

The two disappeared down the hall and Riku allowed himself to breathe. He never should have let her walk away like she did. Riku reached into his pocket and dialed Sora's number.

"Sora," he said once his friend answered. "We've got a problem. Did Roxas get in touch with Axel?"

* * *

Vanitas yawned and stretched his arms out. A slight smile crept on his face. Everything was going according to plan. Mr. Silva was nearly broke, he had Jasmine, it was all too perfect.

When he looked over to see if Jasmine was still asleep, he was surprised to find her not where she should be.

Vanitas threw on some clothes and walked around the apartment to find her but Jasmine was nowhere.

He frowned. 'Where the hell is she?'

Out of the corner of his amber eyes, Vanitas spotted a note on the dining room table. He snatch it up and read it.

_"Something unexpected popped up at Angela's place. I'll be back later."_

Vanitas was irate. 'That girl seriously knows how to piss me off. When she gets back...' Vanitas kept his composure and ran a hand through his messy, spiky hair. A grin slid on his face. "Well I'll just have to pop up at Angela's house and bring her back myself."

He headed for the shower.

"I might have to go back on our promise and teach her a lesson."

* * *

Roxas parked his car outside of Axel's place and ran up the steps. After hearing the phone call from Riku and learning that Jasmine wasn't able to be found, he figured that he'd just save the minutes on his phone bill and cut to the chase. It was 11:45am. 'Axel should be up by now.'

The door to Axel's home opened the redhead stepped outside. Upon seeing Roxas, Axel's face took on a blank expression.

"What's up, Roxas?" He greeted, his usual smirk-like smile intact.

"Where is she?" Roxas' eyes hardened.

Axel's smile vanished. "What are you talking about?"

Roxas stepped in front of Axel with no intention of moving aside. "I know you know where Jasmine is. I also know that you guys have been seeing each other. Spill."

Axel chuckled a little. "Well what do ya know? The girl was right. She knew you guys were following her."

This angered Roxas. He knew that Axel could be shifty with some people. He knew that Axel would not let too many people inside to really know what he was thinking. But Roxas was his best friend and another person close to him was probably in danger. He had no time for any of Axel's games.

"Well she's not here if that's what you came here for," Axel side stepped the young blond. "If I were you, I'd go home and stop interfering."

Roxas whipped around and grabbed Axel by his leather jacket. "Jasmine is one of my best friends! If she's in trouble I need to know so she doesn't get hurt!"

Axel glanced at the hand attached to his sleeve. He never saw Roxas so upset. Well, not since he and Jasmine broke up.

"And you'll get hurt if you're involved," Axel said, brushing Roxas off to the side.

Roxas felt his anger rising. Axel began walking away when Roxas shouted, "Who do you care about more? Her or me? Tell me what's going on!"

Axel froze before looking over his shoulder and glaring at the blond. "Listen here, Roxas," he started, "don't make threats with me. I may be your best friend, but I'm still NOT going to take them. Think about it, from your line of thinking anyway, why am I NOT telling you her whereabouts?"

Roxas fell silent then. He really did let his anger get the better of him yet again. Finally, he said, "Look, I love her. Not in that way, but still. Jasmine means a lot to me and a bunch of other people. If she is in trouble, we need to know how to help her. Please, Axel," the boy pleaded.

Surprisingly, Axel began to laugh. "I always knew you'd have a soft spot for that girl. But you're wasting your time talking to me over here. If you guys are so worried, maybe you should go to one of the sources of all Jasmine's problems." He paused for a second and sighed. "Take care of yourself, buddy."

Roxas hung around the area even after Axel pulled off in his car. He stuffed his hands into his pockets. 'Look for the source huh?' It then donned on Roxas. Who was the person who caused Jasmine so much pain? Who was most likely the one who made Jasmine change?

'Time to pay Vanitas a visit,' Roxas headed to his own car. 'But I should probably call the rest of the guys. Not sure how this will turn out.'

* * *

Jasmine wiped away a tear as she stared at the stuffed Mickey Mouse doll Riku gave her. She managed to sneak back into her house for a moment while Tifa and her family was there. It would seem as though everyone went out looking for her. When she checked her cell phone, she saw that she had countless text messages, phone calls and voicemails from her friends, extended family, and parents.

'My mom is probably having a fit and my dad will probably send me off to some boarding school when this is over,' she thought, chuckling at the thought.

She took the doll by it's hand and closed the door to her room, holding a set of letters in her hand. Glancing up, she noticed that the sky was now a beautiful orange mixed with blue. 'It's gorgeous. I'll miss these days.'

Jasmine hurried down the stairs where Reno, Rude, Elena and Axel stood in the living room.

It was Elena who stepped up first and she, out of everyone, seemed to be the most concerned about Jasmine than anyone.

"Miss, are you sure you want to go through with this?" She asked.

"It's fine, Elena. It's got to be done."

Rude cleaned his sunglasses before sliding them onto his face. "Miss Silva, while it goes against everything I stand for, especially when I took this job serving your family, I have full confidence in you."

Reno pulled out a gun and smirked. "Just promise me that I get five minutes with your soon-to-be ex when this is all over. I've been waiting for it since the day I met him."

Jasmine cracked a smile. "He's all yours. Axel," she turned to the younger redhead, "do you have everything in place?"

Axel brushed past his brother and held up a thick file. "It was pretty smart of you to take pictures of all the bruises he gave you and voice recordings of some of your conversations. Plus you're still a minor. There's no way for him to not end up in jail for a long time, especially with the laws of the island being as strict as they are."

The dark-haired girl set the envelopes on the table. "I'm going to need these to go everyone. I doubt there will be that much talking tonight. Is everything else in play?"

"You called it," Reno told the girl, "everyone is where you thought they'd be. All I have to do is make the call."

"Perfect," she gripped the hand of the doll tighter. "I'm going now."

"See you on the other side, kid," Reno said with a slight smile as he watched Jasmine head out the door.

Once the door was shut, Elena stormed towards Reno. "This is suicide! How can you let her walk away and go through with this?"

Reno shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not happy about it. Trust, I'd never let her go do something this stupid."

"Then why?" She demanded, face becoming red with anger. "Are you still following the orders of the Silva family? You know how screwed up they are!"

"Jasmine's not like them and she knows what she's doing," Reno replied sharply. "Besides, Tifa doesn't have custody of Jasmine yet and things are only getting worse. Just trust her. She's got this."

When Elena backed off, Reno sighed. 'At least I hope so.'

* * *

Vanitas was let in by one of the maids in Riku's household. He walked into the lavish entryway and was told that Angela would be downstairs in a minute.

There was no way he was going to let Jasmine get the better of him.

Footsteps approached. Vanitas frowned. There was more than one person coming. 'Jasmine better be a part of that group for her sake.'

Angela, Tifa, Sora, Roxas, Riku and Tidus all walked into the entryway with eyes blazing.

Vanitas was surprised to see the group and could sense their ire but as usual, he kept a cool head and replaced his longstanding frown with a charming smile that made him look exactly like Sora.

"Didn't think I was gonna get such a greeting," he laughed cheerfully.

"Where is she?" Tifa hissed, walking directly toward him.

Vanitas laughed and placed his hands behind his head. "I was hoping you could tell me."

Tifa no longer held up the front she had earlier in her interactions with Vanitas. "I know Jasmine went to see you. She said she'd be back in a few hours and she hasn't come back since. Where is she, Vanitas?"

He smiled in an attempt to calm Tifa down. "Just relax..."

"Don't tell me to relax," Tifa narrowed her usually soft eyes, "was she at your place last night or not?"

A small smirk grew on his face. "She was definitely there."

"And did she leave soon after she visited you?"

Vanitas spotted Roxas at the back of the group, his grin widening. "Jasmine spent the night. I'm guessing she left early in the morning."

Riku knew he had to control his anger. He did not trust Vanitas from the moment he first met him and with the way things were unraveling, he had a feeling Vanitas was up to something.

"She actually left a note saying she might be here and that she had to handle some business. That's why I came."

Angela pulled Tifa back gently. "Well she's not here. No one has been able to get in contact with her all day."

"Did you two get into a fight?" Sora asked.

Vanitas laughed. "No way. We had a great time. We _always _have a good time." Before Tifa walked off, he called, "I'll look for her if she hasn't been home."

Tifa whipped back around. "Stay away from her," she snapped.

'Ah so she's finally letting her true colors show,' Vanitas mused. 'Let's see if we can play with this.' He gave a casual shrug of his shoulders. "She's still engaged to me. You can't tell me what I can and cannot do."

Sora and Tidus had to actually physically restrain Tifa from advancing on Vanitas, who simply stood there with a smirk on his face.

"I don't know what her parents see in you, but I don't buy it for a second. As soon as I get custody of Jasmine, you won't get within a mile of her."

"Sure she was a little nervous about the engagement when I first proposed, but she's come to like me over time. I'll take good care of her."

"You don't deserve her," Tifa spat, pulling against Sora and Tidus' grip.

Before Vanitas could say anything more, his phone went off and he answered it without looking. "Hello?" His smile grew. "Hi, Jasmine. Looks like you've caused a bit of a stir."

Jasmine's laughter could be heard even by Tifa. "Oh I'll bet."

"You need to come back. Everyone is worried sick about you." Vanitas' concern seemed completely genuine. "Are you alright?"

"Never better," she called.

"Let me talk to her," Tifa demanded.

Vanitas turned his back to Tifa, ignoring her completely. "Where are you?"

"I'm at a restaurant. I promised you the whole weekend so I figured we could have dinner. I'll text you the location."

"Alright then," the raven-haired graduate replied.

"Oh, and tell Sora I'm sorry," she added. "Make sure you tell him that."

Vanitas laughed. "Okay, love." The pet name caused everyone in the room to either roll their eyes or glare.

He hung up the phone. "Sora," Vanitas called, "Jasmine told me to tell you she's sorry."

Sora blinked. "For what?"

"How should I know?" Vanitas turned on his heel.

"Where is she, Vanitas?" Angela called out.

Vanitas was already out the door and shut it behind him.

"Should we follow him?" Tidus asked, letting go of Tifa finally.

"He clearly knows where she is," Riku continued. "We should just tail him."

"No," Tifa told them, "Vanitas already probably expects that. We should all just go back to the house and wait for her there."

"Then what do we do?" Angela asked. "We can send the police or security up there to bring her back."

"I'll have a couple of friends go after her," Tifa started, reaching for her own cell phone.

"And these friends of yours, they'll be able to do it?"

Tifa smiled then. "They're all involved with SOLDIER and AVALANCHE." Everyone's eyes widened at the names. SOLDIER and AVALANCHE were the two of the top combat and military units in the world. "Don't worry, they'll be able to get her back. Trust me."

* * *

Jasmine rested her trembling hands in her lap as the door opened to the back of the empty restaurant. 'Steady yourself.' Vanitas walked through, escorted by two bodyguards she had never seen before.

'Everything is going as planned,' she told herself. But for some reason, Jasmine couldn't shake her nerves. However she refused to let her fears show on her face. She wore a mask of mild amusement and kept it at that. Breaking down now would ruin everything she ever worked for.

Vanitas dismissed his bodyguards and sat in the seat opposite of Jasmine's.

He waited a few moments, simply staring at her without say a word. His eyes locked onto her with irritation clear in his amber orbs.

"I'd ask you what the hell is wrong with you," he started, "but I'm much too tired right now to bother with the useless chatter."

"Let's just say I had to get away for a little while," Jasmine told him lightly. "No distractions, no worries." She picked up the glass of wine in front of her and Vanitas did the same, drinking steadily.

"We're going home now," he commanded.

Jasmine appeared sad for a moment. "But I have something for you," she stuck her hands into the pocket of her jacket.

Vanitas finished the glass. "Really now?" He seemed curious as to what she had for him.

She pushed her seat back and stood up, running to his chair and placing her hands on his shoulders. "You're finally getting what you deserve." Jasmine slipped her hands under his shirt and rubbed his chest. She could feel his heart racing now. Pulling her hands free she disappeared through a set of double doors, leaving Vanitas for a brief moment.

When she returned, she was pulling a cart with a large sheet over a tall stack of something stacked underneath and set it in front of him.

"What is that?" He asked curiously.

"I know you've tapped into my father's accounts and stole money from him by way of Vexen," she stated matter-of-factly.

Vanitas was silent. 'She knows...'

"I knew you'd do much more than convince him to invest in a few companies," Jasmine paced around the area, keeping her cool as she did so. She had to fight off the laughter building up so she could finish. "It's not hard to figure out. Vexen is such a weak minded little snot that it was easy to snatch up some of his documents from his office...and yours too."

"Jasmine," Vanitas started. This was not good. She was up to something.

"So I did a little research of my own and found that you left my father broke, save for the money he was going to use for my wedding and college funds," she snickered then, "wasn't THAT charitable of you?"

"Listen to me," he said testily.

"But I'm not mad, no not at all," she smiled then.

Vanitas did not believe her. "You're such a liar."

"Well if I am," she reached into her pocket and pulled out a pack of matches, "then I get it from my," she giggled, "better half."

"We're leaving now," Vanitas stood up then.

"No wait! I still haven't given you your gift!" Jasmine whipped back the cover and revealed an enormous pile of money all separated out in single dollar bills.

Vanitas' eyes widened. "Is that all HIS money?"

Jasmine broke off a match behind his back. "Oh no. I made sure all his money was put back where it belonged. The companies you invested in belonged to a good friend of mine until he decided that they would all go to me. Hell it's not like he doesn't have a great deal of money anyway."

Vanitas' eye twitched. Everything was falling apart right before his eyes.

"This is the twenty million _you_ invested in the companies. We cashed all the money and stocks out."

"So it's MY money?" He half-shouted.

Jasmine sneered. She grabbed a bottle of some unknown liquid and poured it all over the stacks of cash. "Yes and no." She struck the match against the back of the package when she set the bottle down. "Technically it's mine but if it wasn't for you, I guess it wouldn't be." Jasmine carelessly threw the match on the pile of money and all twenty million dollars went up in flames instantly.

Vanitas' whole body began to shake. He had invested so much money, so much time, so much effort into all his plans. Now it was all going up in flames. _Literally. _

Jasmine took the chance while Vanitas was still stunned and reached under the table, pulling out a steel pipe.

"Oh Vanitas," she cooed.

The young man started to turn around when he felt something crash into his shoulder to knock him off his feet.

Jasmine snapped then. Without mercy or worry, she took the pipe to his back relentlessly with no resolve to stop.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Vanitas shouted, shielding himself from Jasmine's blows. He had no idea she was this strong.

"I HATE YOU!" She shouted. "Do you even KNOW what you did to me? You ruined my life!" Jasmine made sure to stay away from his neck and other vital organs as she swung and struck him. "For almost eighteen years I had to deal with men like you who wanted to control and ruin me!" She struck him again with more force. Tears began to stream down her face. All the anger she had pent up since she was a little girl was beginning to surface. "You ruined me, blackmailed me, raped me and wrecked my life!" This time she struck him in the side and Vanitas groaned in pain.

Jasmine threw aside the pipe and began stomping on Vanitas and kicking him with full force.

"I was fine before you came into my life you sick bastard," her voice was more hushed now, instead replaced by laughter. "And all this was over money and power?" She bent down and roughly slapped Vanitas across the face. "Well is it REALLY worth it? You're still a piece of shit who takes pleasure in hurting others. I'm ECSTATIC that the money is gone now!" She continued to laugh, now giddy to the point where she couldn't breathe.

She got off of Vanitas and tossed the engagement ring aside. "Haha," she giggled, "the engagement is over if that wasn't clear. I'm leaving your sorry ass."

Vanitas rolled on his back. Despite the pain, he picked himself up and launched himself at her, knocking Jasmine over and on her back.

He struck her clear across the face, only to be shocked by the fact that she was still laughing despite the pain. Maybe she had finally, truly lost her mind.

"You belong to me!" He roared. "You're not going anywhere!"

"Sure I am," she said, rolling on her side and laughing into the carpet. "I gave," she chuckled, "some friends in high places a report of all the abuse you've given me over the year. You're finished. And you'll probably be charged with extortion and sexual assault. Good luck in prison!"

Vanitas yanked her up by her hair, causing her to yelp. "This isn't over," he seethed.

"Yeah it is," she sing-songed.

Vanitas' security rushed in. The taller man of the two handed Vanitas something that looked like a needle.

Roughly, Vanitas injected Jasmine with something and she quickly began to fade into darkness.

'It's all coming together,' she thought before quickly falling into unconsciousness.


	52. Chapter 52: The Other Man

**Author's Comments: **Ah the story is slowly coming to a close. Just a few more chapters left. Although I'm going to be honest, I'm quite torn as to make a sequel. Food for thought folks...Anyway I want to thank the readers, those who fave, those who alert, and give a shoutout to the reviewers **ShatterTheHeavens, Princess Nexda the Wise, Queen Micky, Lazyxafternoons, animechick247, MikaUchiha666, Khaotic Kal, Frooky90, Sarah K.R. **and **Hitomi Kogure. **Thanks so much you guys! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter and tell me what you think, okay? Take care!

-Skye

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. I only own the OCs.

* * *

"_Is this all still going according to your plan?" _

She squeezed her eyes tight. Every inch of her body (including her head) was pounding as if she had been hit by a bus.

Jasmine answered her own thoughts. 'Of course,' she told herself, recognizing this voice as belonging to the inner-self that followed the middle road. Just hearing the voice comforted her in the pain she resided in. 'I know what I'm doing.'

The voice chuckled. _"Well I certainly hope so. Remember what you told yourself and stay strong."_

Jasmine smiled inwardly. 'Yes ma'am.'

She slowly opened one eye at a time although her vision took a few seconds to clear. Jasmine attempted to move her arms but she felt a bit numb. And it wasn't just her arms that felt numb. No. It was everything from her head to her toes. She shut her eyes again and tilted her head to the side, realizing that she was sitting against something and that her arms were above her head and held in place by something cold, hard that also rattled.

'That's right. I was drugged...again. I wonder where he gets all this stuff from.'

Jasmine reopened her eyes and found herself in a bedroom that was completely white from the walls, to the floors and to the sheets of the bed she was sitting on. She looked up to find that her arms had been restrained high above her by chains attached to a beam on the wall, pinning her to the headboard. Everything else was in order. She had no real bruising or cuts. Her clothes were all intact. However her ankles were chained up as well. The one positive was that this chain was long and she could move her legs freely about the bed (if her legs weren't numb of course). The downside is that the chain was attached to the floor.

Her memory came back to her and Jasmine found herself stifling a giggle. It almost didn't seem sane for her to have taken such pleasure from setting Vanitas' money on fire in front of him and then beating him with a pipe after the fact. She doubted that she did any serious damage to him but he definitely got the point. At least that's what Jasmine hoped.

The door swung open and crashed against the wall, causing Jasmine to wince. Loud, crashing noises did not calm down a pounding headache.

"Hello my love," Vanitas greeted cheerfully.

Jasmine was a little concerned with how calm he seemed. She took a once over of his body. His left arm from the elbow down was bandaged up as was his right hand.

'Well,' she thought, shrugging mentally, 'at least I did _something._'

Vanitas crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed, smile still intact. "Did you have a nice nap?"

She smirked. "It was absolutely peachy. I should thank you for injecting me with...whatever the heck that was. Best sleep I've had in weeks…"

"Perfect," Vanitas reached into his pocket and pulled out the engagement ring he'd given her. He stood up and leaned over her where her arms were restrained and slid the ring back on the left hand ring finger. Once in place, he sighed. "Wouldn't want you to lose this."

"You're a prince," she sneered.

"You know," Vanitas started crossing his arms over his chest, "you put on quite a show for me back there."

Jasmine took pride in the act. "It was all for you."

"As is this," Vanitas whistled and two of his bodyguards walked in, carrying a trembling, frantic Vexen into the room before throwing him on the floor.

"What's he doing here?" Jasmine asked, heart now racing out of fear.

Vanitas grabbed the sniveling Vexen up by the collar of his shirt. The blond had clearly been beaten badly judging from the bloodstains all over him and his ruffled suit. Vanitas ignored Jasmine's question altogether. "Clearly you were right about Jasmine the whole time. She was much smarter and more devious than I gave her credit for."

"P-Please Vanitas!" Vexen whined.

Jasmine's breathing began to become uneven. She was actually scared _for _her father's assistant.

Vanitas dragged him over to Jasmine. "But you made the mistake of talking about my fiancée like she was trash when she is more intelligent than even you would have imagined. I want you to apologize immediately." There was underlying fury in Vanitas' voice.

Vexen stammered. "I-I'm s-sorry!"

The dark-haired young man smirked. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a switchblade. "You incompetence has cost me dearly." With a flick of the wrist Vanitas slit Vexen's throat and let his body drop to the floor.

Jasmine squeaked and jumped back. She had literally seen a man killed before her eyes and now he was bleeding to death on the glistening white floors a few inches away from her. Vexen didn't deserve it. No one deserved to have their life taken away by the hands of anyone.

"You know, Faye," Vanitas said, wiping the blade clean on Vexen's coat. He tapped the blade against the nightstand, "I'm sure you understand why I had to kill him. He would have definitely ruined the rest of my plans. He had to go."

"And I suppose you're going to kill me soon, huh?" She asked, feeling as though her heart was going to fail simply because of the rapid heartbeat.

The hand not holding onto the blade slinked its way into Jasmine's hair, locking onto her long, black tresses. "No," he breathed, "you're much too precious. Beauty and cunning like this only comes along once in a lifetime. That would be a waste."

The thought of being stuck with Vanitas forever was more terrifying than death. "I don't want to be with you," she shouted. "Let me go!"

Vanitas took a tighter hold of Jasmine's hair, causing her to scream. "There is not one thing in this world that I cannot have. You included. No other woman would be able to live up to your legacy. No other person would have been able to outsmart me on a couple of occasions. No...no one else will do."

"I hate you," she said, voice straining against the pain.

Vanitas shook his head. "How many times must we go over this? Hate is an emotion of passion."

Jasmine felt her strength slowly returning to her. She struggled against the chains but to no avail. She was stuck. "You're insane. I burned your money, embarrassed you and you still want me? You had no right to call me insane."

A black eyebrow belonging to Vanitas shot up. "Don't pretend that you're above it. _You're_ the one who was laughing maniacally at the restaurant while beating a human being." He sighed and set his hand on her knee. "And your family has been looking for you."

Jasmine's eyes widened when he held up her cell phone.

"They've been blowing up your phone for the last five or six hours. Quite a nuisance actually. I let them know you were resting," he continued on.

"You do know they're coming after me," Jasmine stated, narrowing her eyes.

Vanitas shrugged his shoulders. "I expect they'll attempt at the very least." It looked as if he was scrolling through her phone. "And then I came across a few pictures that caught my eye." He held the phone out for her to see and her face instantly paled. The current screen was a picture of Jasmine and Riku holding hands. "Now, knowing you're a woman of your honor, I'm sure he was a previous boyfriend before we became engaged."

Jasmine instantly barked. "Stay away from Riku!"

Vanitas brushed her off. "Even so, I'm sure that he's the one who has prevented you from giving your full feelings and heart to me. I'll have to take care of the competition. You're more my type anyway. He looks like he'd go for the cheerleader as opposed to a woman like you."

"You won't get away with any of this Vanitas," she told him, anger rising at the idea of him laying a hand on Riku.

"Oh I will," he said nonchalantly. "And I don't know why you think he'd care anyway." Vanitas' bodyguards left the room first and he followed shortly. "Besides, who wants an apple after someone has already taken a bite?"

Jasmine's eyes began to tear up while Vanitas laughed, shutting the door and locking it behind him.

* * *

It had been several hours since everyone had last seen Vanitas and this did nothing to calm the group's nerves. Everyone decided to meet up at Tifa's house; Sora, Riku, Riku's parents, Kairi, Tidus, Roxas, Naminé, Selphie, Yuffie, Zack, Cloud, Aerith and of course, Tifa. Jasmine's parents were on the way over and were expected to arrive shortly.

Zack sat at the dining room table, sharpening a long dagger.

"You don't really expect to have to use that, do you?" Aerith asked, eying Zack carefully.

Zack's mako eyes hardened. "If he's touched Jasmine, I will skin him alive on the spot."

Tidus stared in awe at Yuffie (who was spinning a tiny shuriken on her index finger) and Cloud (who was loading up a gun). "You guys really are a part of SOLDIER?"

Yuffie grinned. "That's right! All of us used to kick serious ass in the good old days!"

The blond smiled meekly. "You don't really look it though…"

Yuffie's eyes flashed and she snuck up behind Tidus, putting him in a headlock. "Believe me now?"

Tidus slammed his hand against the table repeatedly. "Okay okay! I get it!"

Aerith rushed to Tidus' aid and pried the short, raven haired girl off him. "Don't hurt him," the brunette said, reprimanding her friend.

Yuffie beamed. "Just had to give the kid an idea of what Vanitas is gonna deal with when I find him."

Tidus shielded himself by hiding behind Aerith. "I pity him…"

Riku was more than impatient. He was practically frantic. "We can't track her down by her cell phone? Something is clearly wrong."

Tifa tried to calm Riku's nerves. The worry was clear on his face. "Aerith is working on that now. Don't worry. We'll find her."

The sound of the house phone startled Tifa and she picked it up on the first ring without looking at the caller ID. "Hello? Jasmine?"

A familiar, vicious laugh erupted from the other end of the line. "I'm sorry to disappoint, Tifa."

Tifa immediately put the call on speakerphone where everyone could hear. "Where is she?"

Vanitas feigned feelings of hurt. "You're not going to ask how I am? That's rude."

Zack rose to his feet. "Just answer the damn question!"

"I knew you'd put me on for your 'friends in high places'," Vanitas said. "Don't worry. Jasmine is safe for now. She's a little tied up at the moment and exhausted. But then again, she is a busy girl."

"Bring her back to us," Tifa commanded.

Vanitas did not seem amused. "No, I think I'm going to keep her for a while. After all, she is my future wife. Besides, your goddaughter just cost me twenty million dollars. I think she owes me."

The entire room fell silent, everyone looking to each other for an idea of what Vanitas was talking about.

A severe knocking came from the side door and Kairi rushed to it. Jasmine's parents, clearly disheveled, rushed in. It was Mr. Silva who brushed past everyone and got to Tifa first. "What's going on?" He asked, clearly angry. "Vexen has gone missing and my accounts have been drained."

"Oh is that Mr. Silva? Send my regards," Vanitas said cheerfully.

"Where the hell is my daughter?" Sofia shouted at the top of her lungs. Unlike her usual polished, pristine self, she wore a simple tracksuit with her hair pulled back into a short ponytail. Like Tifa and everyone else in the room, Sofia had worry plastered on her face.

"I've got her, don't worry about that. And your money is safe. Turns out Jasmine doesn't hate you as much as I thought and put your money back and instead robbed me of my millions. But I'm holding onto Jasmine for a bit." Vanitas yawned. "It's a lot safer to keep her with me than to let someone like her go free. Who knows what kind of damage she could cause?"

"Vanitas…" Tifa began testily.

"I want to talk to Riku," Vanitas demanded.

The whole room looked to Riku who was just as confused as the rest of them.

"That's right," Vanitas continued. "I just want to have a little heart to heart talk. It's not like I'm going to blow your head off."

Sora put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Go on."

Riku swallowed his sigh. There was so much he wanted to say to Vanitas. But with the way things were looking right now, he knew he didn't need to anger Vanitas. Otherwise something might happen to Jasmine. "Hello?" he called.

"Ah, Riku! It's good to finally talk to you. I had no idea you and Jasmine were so close. We should have had lunch."

"Cut the crap," Riku said sharply. "I want to talk to Faye."

"Oh you two are on THAT kind of basis? She never let _me _call her that." Vanitas' voice hardened. "Looks like I blackmailed her over the wrong guy. I should have known better. Roxas was never did seem like that big of a player."

"What are you talking about?"

Vanitas cleared his throat. "I was _not_ going to have her ruined over an insignificant little school boy but I guess I followed the wrong one. Jasmine deserves someone more on her level and let's face it—you're nowhere close to it. So I'm giving you a choice here: either you promise to never see her again and renounce whatever feelings you have for her or I'm going to come after you _personally_."

Riku chuckled. "What makes you think I'm scared of you?"

"You shouldn't underestimate me," Vanitas quipped. "Keep in mind the longer you fight this, the more pissed I'll get and take it out on Jasmine. Despite my feelings towards her, she's still royally ticked me off."

Riku instantly went into full swing anger. "You're not going to lay a hand on her," he said darkly.

"Really? I'm not?"

Mr. Silva had heard enough. "Listen here, if you don't give my daughter back to me, we WILL send the police."

Vanitas scoffed. "As if you actually care about her. I know all about your family's history. You and your wife practically abandoned Jasmine ever since she was four years old. Did you even think about how that would affect her? She was just a little girl. Oh and you co-signed on marrying her off to an older man although the one you picked is exactly who she needs."

Jasmine's father's head drooped. With a heavy sigh of defeat he asked, "What will it take for you to give her back to us?"

Vanitas paused for a moment before answering. "Well given that we need something that will equal Jasmine's worth I'd say…twenty million to make up for the money of mine she sent up in flames."

"Are you serious?" Sofia's eyes widened.

"I know she's worth _way _more," Vanitas stated calmly, "but that'll be a good start. Oh and I suggest you make a decision quickly. I'd rather leave that gorgeous skin of hers intact than continue to scar it up. I'm thinking of carving my wedding vows into her quite literally. Romantic isn't it?"

There was a slight clicking noise from Vanitas' end.

He returned after a painfully long wait. "Jasmine, tell Riku to come alone with what I asked for."

"Go to hell!" she spat from the other end of the line.

Yuffie ran forward. "Jasmine! Are you okay?"

"Don't come!" Jasmine shouted. "Whatever you do don't do it!"

"That's not what I wanted you to say…" Vanitas sounded disappointed.

A few seconds later, Jasmine's muffled screams could be heard through the speakers.

"Why don't you just scream?" Vanitas asked nonchalantly. "It's easier than trying to hide it."

With a strained voice, Jasmine shouted, "I wouldn't give you the satisfaction! AH!" This time her screams were louder and clearer.

"Stop it!" Sofia cried, tears now streaming down her face.

Vanitas hummed then, "Till death do us part…"

Jasmine tried her hardest not to yelp and scream but it was clear that the pain was just too much.

"Ask Riku to come," Vanitas told her.

"No!" She yelled defiantly.

"You're hurting her Riku," Vanitas sighed. "Why don't you make it easy on her? She's clearly suffering here."

Riku bit his bottom lip. It tore him apart to hear Jasmine's held back cries. She was always strong and relatively good with pain. Whatever Vanitas was doing was seriously hurting her. He shut his eyes and made up his mind. "Vanitas, where do you want me to meet you?"

Tifa roughly grabbed Riku's arm. "Are you serious? We're not going to let you anywhere near him."

"Look," Riku whispered now so Vanitas could not hear, "if we leave Jasmine there, she might not survive. At least if I go we'll have more time to work something out."

Angela was against this. "No, there has to be another way."

"How about this?" Vanitas chirped. "If you don't meet me in half an hour, I'll start putting bullet holes in her next. Does that sound better?"

"He's going to kill you!" Jasmine yelled in the background. "Don't do it!"

Riku tried to sound as calm as possible in the situation. "I'll be there."

"Excellent!" Vanitas beamed.

"Riku you stubborn jackass listen to me!" Jasmine piped up. "You. Will. Not. Survive! Why can't you just listen to me for once?"

Riku laughed despite everything. "Well you know I hardly listen."

"Riku, I'll send you the location from Jasmine's cell phone. Until then."

The line went dead and the room was filled with a heavy, dark silence.

Tifa sank into a chair and held her head in her hands. "He's going to kill them both." Aerith rushed to Tifa's side. "There's no way he'd let both Jasmine and Riku walk free." She then looked up. "Riku, you stay here. We won't let you go through with this."

Sora shook his head. "Knowing Vanitas, he probably expects people to follow Riku. If that's the case, he'll probably hurt Jasmine or even worse if we prove him right."

Zack frowned. "If you think for one minute I'm going to let this lunatic get away with this, you're just as nuts as he is."

Sora tried to reason with Zack. "We need to get Jasmine. That much is for sure. But we have to have a plan. Vanitas is too smart for most tricks. If anything, he's already had this planned out and knows what to expect."

Aerith was busy typing away on a laptop and was able to trace the location of the phone call. "We'll just have to plan this out carefully." She stared into the screen intently.

Zack looked over Aerith's shoulder. "You know where this place is?"

She nodded. "Yes. It's an old, abandoned bar near a freeway. I've passed by there a couple of times. The place hasn't been touched in at least ten years."

Sofia looked to her husband, her makeup now smeared from the tears. "We don't have twenty million dollars."

"Somehow," Cloud spoke for the first time, causing everyone to stare, "I don't believe he'll give her up even if you have the money in the first place. I'm sure he just wants Riku because he knows Jasmine and him were together."

"Well what do you suppose we do?" Tifa asked. "We're not going to sacrifice Riku."

Cloud stared into the ceiling and closed his eyes. "I have a plan."

Yuffie's eyes widened. "This better be a _good_ plan, Cloud. We're not exactly dealing with guys like Rufus anymore."

Tidus leaned over to Roxas. "Who the heck is Rufus?"

Roxas whispered. "I'll explain it later."

"Just hear me out, okay?" The group listened intently.

* * *

Jasmine sighed heavily. Finally, Vanitas had finished slicing into her back and had began cleaning the blade off on a cool rag.

"I'm sure I'll be seeing you in hell for this," she whispered to him.

Vanitas peeked over his shoulder and grinned. "How sweet, you're already planning for beyond the afterlife. Ladies first I always say."

Jasmine flopped to the bed. Vanitas had undone the chains attached to the wall and left her hands cuffed together. Her blood was slowly seeping into the sheets and her ripped shirt. Just the scent of it made Jasmine's head spin. "Why are you like this?"

"I just want what I want," he answered plainly. "And I'm not going to let anyone get in the way of it."

"Heartless," she said, too tired to lift her head. "You won't get away with this."

"Of course I will. Then we can finally take that trip to Paris like I promised you." He headed to the door and turned off the light. "I suggest you get some rest before _he _comes. I want you to be prepared for the show."

Vanitas sealed the room in darkness when he shut the door behind him.

'Riku,' she thought, squeezing her eyes shut, 'don't be a complete fool.'


	53. Chapter 53: Blackout

**Author's Comments: **Still debating on a sequel...this is a tough one. Anyway, glad you all enjoyed the chapter. I wanna thank all the readers, those who fave, alert and give a special shoutout to my reviewers **ventus4ever, animechick247, MikaUchiha666, ShatterTheHeavens, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Sarah K.R., Queen Micky, Khaotic Kal, **and **Frooky90. **Thanks so much guys! Let me know what you think of the next chapter and take care!

-Skye

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. I do own the OCs.

* * *

"_Riku," Jasmine called out._

_Riku was sitting in the sand at the time on the tiny islet he and his friends played on when they were younger. He tore his eyes away from the clear, ocean waters and looked behind him to see Jasmine approaching him._

_Jasmine took a place in the sand next to him and pulled her feet to her chest. _

"_What's wrong?" He asked, giving her his full attention. _

_She stared listlessly into the sea. She looked so lost and distant then. It was a little bit disheartening._

"_Tell me," she began, stretching her legs out so her bare feet could touch the water coming up in the tide, "what are you going to do after high school?"_

_Riku was puzzled by her question. "You know this, Faye. I'm heading off to university to be a film director."_

"_Like your father, right?"_

_Riku then laid flat on his back and closed his eyes. "Something like that."_

"_Well you certainly have the creativity for it," she said, quickly glancing over at him._

"_And what about you?" Riku asked after a long silence._

_Jasmine perked up. "What do you mean?"_

_Riku closed his eyes and sighed. "Your career is taking off. Will you even want to go to college? I mean, you'll be busy with your music."_

_She gave a shrug."It has been on my mind for a while, I'm not going to lie." Jasmine then noticed a thick, heavy silence. She realized exactly what Riku was getting at._

_Jasmine crawled behind Riku, lifted him up and propped his back against her chest. She locked her arms around his torso. "I still want to be with you if that's what you're thinking. And I do want to go to college."_

_Riku inhaled her soft scent and allowed himself to fully sink into her arms. "You don't want to overdo it."_

"_Well you're going to apply to Radiant Garden University," she started, "it has a great arts program. I figure that if I go there I can work on my piano playing skills. Maybe I'll even pick up the violin as well. It won't hurt me at all to go to school. And then…" Jasmine kissed one of his temples, "we can still be together." She laughed then. "Besides, I'm not giving one of those wild college girls a chance at you. Girls at that university outnumber the boys. I don't want to hear over text or webcam that some chick is chasing after my boyfriend. I'd rather nip that in the bud myself quickly."_

_Now calm from Jasmine's words, Riku chuckled. "I love it when you get jealous. It's rare the claws come out."_

_Jasmine pouted and blushed. "Oh shut up. I just don't want any funny business."_

"_The same goes for you. I don't want any idiots trying to come at you. It's hard being with a sexy, talented singer."_

"_And," Jasmine added, "It'll be equally as difficult with me the girlfriend of a gorgeous director. I can just see the groupies now. Makes me sick…"_

_Riku frowned a bit. "My father is brilliant. I just want to make a name for myself though."_

"_But you won't be your father," Jasmine told him, giving him a tight squeeze._

_Riku looked up curiously. "What do you mean?"_

"_You'll be the first and only _you. _Not your dad."_

_Riku's heart swelled for an unknown reason at the comment. He turned around and flipped her into his arms and she rested on her back in his lap. "I really should tell you how amazing you are more."_

_Jasmine's face flushed with color. "It wasn't much…but I'm glad it helped."_

_Riku pressed his lips to hers, catching Jasmine off guard initially. When he broke the kiss, he cradled her into his arms. "And that's why I love you."_

Riku sighed at the flashback as he sat in his car parked right outside where he was supposed to meet Vanitas and, hopefully, Jasmine.

Despite his cool and calm demeanor, Riku was more anxious and nervous than he let on. Never in his life had he expected for things to take such a turn. It was as if it were yesterday where he was entering his junior year on top of the world and now he was caught in the middle of some crazy scheme/rescue attempt for the girl he originally could not stand at the beginning of his junior year.

Riku reached for the giant envelope Tifa had given him and unlatched his seatbelt. 'Let's hope this plan of Cloud's works.'

He spotted an open door and locked his car behind him. Being ever so careful as to not be ambushed like he expected to be, Riku cautiously looked over his shoulder before entering the eerily quiet building.

The sound of his slow footsteps bounced off the walls of the dimly lit walkway, echoing behind him as he continued on. A small light at the end of the way served as Riku's only guide. He just wished that he knew what exactly was going on.

Once he was in the light, Riku shielded his eyes. The once-restaurant's color scheme was an obscene white-on-white and having just come from pitch black darkness was a bit of an adjustment. However, when Riku's vision cleared, he noticed a long dining room table in the middle of the enormous room, a large flat screen behind the table and Vanitas sitting at the head.

Vanitas smiled and tossed aside the cell phone he was holding. "Right on time! Good thing too. I was getting anxious."

Riku scowled and held up the envelope. "There's so much I want to say to you right now, but for Faye's sake I'll keep my mouth shut."

Vanitas' smile vanished instantly. "I'd calm down if I were you."

"So, where are your bodyguards?" Riku glanced around the room. "I have expected to be ambushed on my way in here. What? Have you called them away?"

Vanitas kicked his boots on the table and leaned back, clearly disinterested. "I don't need bodyguards to kill you. I could do so at any moment." He pushed up his sleeves and Riku noticed that the cuffs were splattered with blood.

"What did you do to Faye?" Riku demanded, stepping to Vanitas without hesitation.

"Nothing serious. I just carved a good portion of my wedding vows into her back."

"You did WHAT?" Riku shouted.

Vanitas yawned. "She was never yours to begin with. Why are you overreacting?"

Riku tossed the envelope to Vanitas who caught it with the index finger and middle finger on his left hand. "Faye is _not_ someone that you can claim. She's way too good for that."

"And she's more than you deserve," Vanitas set the envelope aside.

"You didn't want the money to begin with," Riku realized.

Vanitas shook his head. "Oh no. I want the money. Jasmine took it upon herself to set my money on fire: twenty million to be exact."

Riku smirked. "When I see her again after I kick your ass I'll have to tell her how awesome she is for that."

Suddenly, a man with fiery red hair tied into a ponytail and goggles on his head entered the room. "Vanitas, should I bring her down?"

"Perfect, she'll want to be here for this next part. Thank you, Reno," Vanitas dismissed him and Reno headed to the elevator. "You see, _that _was one of Mr. Silva's men. You can buy anyone nowadays with the right amount of money."

"I feel sorry for you," Riku frowned. "I don't care if you are Sora's cousin I'm still going to enjoy taking you down."

Vanitas whistled and a dozen bodyguards entered the room, surrounding the pair.

"I thought you wouldn't need any help," Riku taunted.

"They're not for you," Vanitas sneered. He stepped outside of the circle and over to the elevator. Riku looked on curiously. When the doors opened, the redhead reappeared but this time he was carrying something or someone on his back. Riku's eyes widened when he was finally able to get a good view of it.

"Faye! Are you okay?" Riku shouted.

Jasmine lifted her head to find that Riku was the one crying out to her. Apparently the damage Vanitas had done to her was more than Riku had imagined. The white tank top she was wearing was soaked in blood and clung to her body. Also, she was quite pale in the face as opposed to her usual glow. When she saw Vanitas, she tried to break free and make a pass at him only to be dragged from Reno's arms and thrown onto the floor.

Before Riku could do anything, he heard a gun behind him click and he froze on the spot.

"I'd be a bit gentler with her but she's a strong girl. She'll heal."

Jasmine's vision was blurry. She still wasn't as alert as she wished to be. This could be a serious problem. She peered up from her bangs and spotted Riku. A tear slid down her face and she laughed. "You're as stubborn as I expected."

Riku tried to keep Jasmine calm. She didn't look well at all. It was probably from the loss of blood and whatever beating Vanitas gave her. "I'm going to take you home. Don't worry."

Vanitas bent down and grabbed Jasmine's hair by the nape of her neck, pulling her to her knees. "You know, Riku, Jasmine isn't as innocent as you think she is. She's pulled quite a few stunts as of late that, by normal standards, would be frowned upon."

"Shut up," Riku snapped, "if she did anything, it was to get away from you."

"Lying, scheming against her father, cutting off her friends and loved ones, theft," Vanitas gave her hair another tug, causing her to scream, "it's damn near criminal."

"Riku," Jasmine said through haggard breaths, "you need to get out of here!"

"Did I tell you about her?" Vanitas continued, pulling out his switchblade once again. "The _real _Jasmine who's been hiding from you all? The real Jasmine is cunning, manipulative, brilliant past the point of insanity and a real vamp might I add."

Jasmine shut her eyes. The memory of that fateful night Vanitas took her replayed over and over in her head.

Vanitas scoffed and bent down to her level. "Did I mention she's quite the accomplished lover? It turns out that virgins aren't as horrible as people claim to be. But then again," he ran the blade down her cheek, "she is a special case."

"I never wanted it!" Jasmine yelled at the top of her lungs. "But you didn't care!"

Had it not have been for the guard jabbing the gun in his back, Riku would have charged forward and broke Vanitas' neck. Rage was slowly building up inside of him and Riku knew that soon he would not be able to contain himself. "I'm going to kill you," Riku growled.

"Are you mad that it wasn't you? I mean I'd be jealous too. She's absolutely gorgeous."

Jasmine hung her head. Vanitas _knew _exactly how to hurt her and push her buttons. He _knew _that she was sensitive about them being together intimately and to reveal that to Riku in this way would destroy her. In less than a minute Vanitas had managed to ruin her once again in front of the person she loved most.

"So you decided to sleep with a minor?" Riku barked. "I don't care about all that other crap. All that I care about is making sure you're put behind bars where you can't touch her again."

Vanitas let Jasmine go. "Watch her," he commanded his guards, "I want twenty minutes with Riku. If she moves, shoot her."

The guards swarmed Jasmine and Vanitas then and he threw the knife aside. She scooted away from Vanitas and rose to shaky feet.

"If you hurt Riku," Jasmine hissed, "I swear I'll—"

"And just to make sure Riku knows I'm not kidding," Vanitas cut her off and reached for a pistol one of the bodyguards was holding and shot Jasmine in the left thigh, causing her to come crashing into the ground. She let out a howl of pain and buried her face into the carpet. "Hold on Jasmine. We'll get you fixed up in no time. I just have to handle one thing first..."

* * *

Axel waited on Tifa's doorstep for someone to answer the doorbell ring. If Jasmine was right (which she usually was) then everything should be going according to plan.

It was a woman with long brown hair tied into a braid who answered.

"Hello? Can I help you?" Aerith asked carefully.

"Hey, I'm a friend of Jasmine's," Axel told her, "is Roxas here?"

Aerith glanced over her shoulder and the blond boy he was referring to sat at a table with the rest of his friends. "Come in," she said finally. Once Axel was inside, she locked the door. 'No need in anyone unwanted getting in.'

Roxas turned in his chair and his eyes widened when he saw Axel.

"What's up, Roxas?" Axel greeted casually. He placed a hand on the table and gave Roxas a good, hard stare. "It's almost midnight. You should get home."

"What are you doing here?" Roxas asked curiously.

"Just following orders," Axel said nonchalantly.

Roxas cocked an eyebrow. "Since when do you follow _anyone's _orders?"

"I know, it's unheard of! Usually I just do things the way I want but this is a favor from a friend sooo," Axel held up a group of envelopes, "I figured I'd be nice for a change. Won't happen too often though." He dropped them in front of Roxas. "Don't want to get soft."

Roxas picked up the envelope on top of the pile. His name was written on it with handwriting he easily recognized as Jasmine's.

"What's this?" Sora asked, taking the envelope with his name on it. He called the group over. Apparently there was a letter for everyone.

"She wanted you to have this and for you guys to know a few things." Axel noticed that a few people were missing. "Where's her godmother?"

"They went off to help her," Sora replied.

Axel chuckled. "Man, she called it. The girl is sharp."

Roxas did not open the letter. "Are you going to tell us what's going on, Axel?"

The redhead pulled up a chair and closed his eyes. "That's why I'm here. I wanted to come sooner but then again she was very specific as to _when_ to do certain things."

"You do know that she was kidnapped, right?" Aerith told him, already knowing that he had an idea of what had transpired in the last few hours.

Axel nodded. "We figured as much. If Vanitas didn't take her that would've been a shocker." He cleared his throat. "Cat Eyes wanted me to tell you all a little story. It's not exactly a pretty one but if things went seriously wrong you at least needed to know what's happened."

Everyone either sat on the floor or sat in chairs, anxiously waiting for the story to begin.

"Keeping the beginning short, Jasmine had a screwed up childhood—are her parents here?"

Aerith shook her head. "No. They went to the police station."

Axel rolled his eyes. "She wanted them to hear this too. Oh well they'll find out later." He put his hands behind his head. "The girl pretty much had to raise herself and was alone most of her life. Because she was identified as gifted when she started school, the kids started picking on her and so she decided to not deal with people."

"Wait, how do you know all this?" Kairi asked then.

"Because my older brother, Reno and his partners Rude and Elena served as bodyguards to her family for most of Jasmine's life."

Roxas' eyes widened. "Did you actually know her when she was a child?"

"Nah, but Reno would always tell me stories about this kid he would watch. He'd always say she looked sad and that she was miserable all the time but would never say anything about it. Jasmine was never much of a whiner. But anyway! We're going to fast-forward to the present.

"Jasmine's parents introduced her to Vanitas as a way of bonding the two families and securing a higher social status for themselves. Vanitas worked under her father, plotting and scheming to take power from him. While they aren't wealthy, they are influential people and that was enough for Vanitas."

Naminé reeled back and held her brother's hand. "That's not modern at all."

"Exactly." Axel frowned at this next part. "When Vanitas learned that Jasmine wasn't about to back down and that she thoroughly hated him, he started trying to control her. Vanitas has drugged her on several occasions and he's physically abused her." He watched everyone's faces either pale or twist up in shock/horror. "I've got all the evidence. She was smart enough to make sure to get some kind of evidence of the abuse.

"And then on the day Jasmine broke up with Riku, the pretty boy, they became engaged. Her father and mother wouldn't listen. They were more concerned about the family name or some bullshit like that. Then, Vanitas tried to get Jasmine looped into his plans to ruin her father. She accepted only because she knew what he was up to. But being with him took its toll on her. Slowly, Jasmine started losing touch on her sanity. But then again, being with Vanitas—who I'm going to say is completely insane himself—is enough to make anyone slowly lose it.

"Then after Riku's birthday party, Vanitas found out about Roxas," he pointed to his best friend, "and blackmailed her into sleeping with him which turned into rape over the course of months."

"Why wouldn't she step up and say anything?" Roxas asked, nearly shouting at hearing what happened. His own anger was building up and he was sorry he didn't go with Riku.

"Because Vanitas would have started digging around and come after Riku too. She knew Vanitas would have done everything in his power to remove certain people from her life and that he could. Besides her father threatened to ship her off to a boarding school and break her record contract if she did. That's when she started unwinding more in the head. Her behavior started being more self-destructive and her resolve to make Vanitas suffer, as well as her father became more absolute.

"She knew Vanitas had an obsession with her—a dark, sick, twisted one but an obsession nonetheless and that's when she laid out her plans. I own several businesses and she was able to lead him to a few that I really didn't care about. Vanitas used some of his money and the money he stole from her father to buy stocks, twenty million dollars worth."

Roxas spoke up. "You don't need money, Axel."

"I know that. That's why I wasn't afraid to get involved. She said she wanted to keep all outsider activities to a minimum—says it's too messy. Anyway, Jasmine had me hand over the businesses to her and we cashed out everything. But instead of keeping her father's money, she put it back in his accounts and kept Vanitas'. Then, a little earlier, she burned it all in front of him. Just set it on fire," he smirked then. "And everyone thought _I _was a pyromaniac growing up…and then, while he was in shock, she took a pipe to him and gave him a decent beating from what I assume. Then Vanitas decided to hold her hostage and now we're back at the present."

Tidus and Selphie's eyes widened.

Selphie muttered, "She did all THAT?"

Axel confirmed this. "When you push someone over the edge, they're liable to do anything. While Vanitas was the one to really test her, it was only a matter of time before Jasmine finally snapped. She's still dedicating herself to the ones she loves, but she's definitely insane. I'm not sure how well she'll recover from all this."

When Axel finished, the room was silent for a fairly long time, everyone trying to absorb all that he had told them. None of this was anything they had expected.

"So what's next?" Roxas asked, rubbing his temples. He had a deep headache from all the information Axel threw their way. "I'm certain, if she was able to do all that, she knew Vanitas would kidnap her."

Axel seemed hesitant to answer but he did, somberly. "Jasmine doesn't expect to be alive after all this. She believes Vanitas will try and kill her and if it happens, she wanted me to give you all these letters."

Kairi's eyes began to water. "Jasmine is NOT going to die. She's too strong."

Sora pulled Kairi into his arms. "Isn't there anything we could do? We're not going to stand by and let this happen."

"Jasmine said, "I'm just so tired. If I don't live, I'll finally be able to rest. If I do live I'm not sure it'll happen. Pray for the best but expect the worst," and, "as long as my friends and family are alive and well, it would be worth it," end of story." Axel rose from his seat and exhaled. 'That was a lot tougher than I thought it'd be. That's the last time I play messenger.'

"Where are you going?" Roxas asked, face now ghostly white from the news.

"Jasmine wanted me to take care of a few other things. I respect the girl even though I don't agree with her thinking death would make everything okay. But then again," he chuckled slightly, "she probably has a few other tricks up her sleeve she hasn't told me about yet so don't count her out just yet." Axel left the group and headed out the front door.

Before he got to his car, he shook his head. 'Jasmine, if you die on everyone, I don't think they'll get over it. You'd better come back alive.'

* * *

"How could you shoot the woman you claim you care about?" Riku asked, completely shocked by what he had seen.

Vanitas casually strolled over to the table. "Like I said, she'll heal. Besides, I wouldn't want you to think I was bluffing."

Before Riku could say anything, Vanitas picked up a chair and threw it at Riku, knocking the boy off his feet and sending him crashing into the floor. Riku groaned as he pulled himself to his feet to see Vanitas making a pass at his face.

Riku grabbed Vanitas' arm and punched him repeatedly in the stomach until he was winded. He then grabbed the collar and pushed Vanitas into a wall.

"Oh, I see you're angry," Vanitas teased.

"What was your first clue?" Riku shouted back, kneeing Vanitas in the gut.

While all this went on, Jasmine tried to stand up but found it impossible with her wounded leg.

"Little girl," a female guard told her harshly. This voice belonged to Elena. "I'd stay down if I were you."

"Go to hell," Jasmine snapped. 'Why does Riku have to be the hero?' She caught sight of the elevator that led to the top floor. From the floor, Jasmine could see that they were near the ocean. 'Perfect.'

Vanitas got the upper hand and flipped Riku on his back, tossing him into the table, breaking a chair in the process.

Riku looked at the gash in his side. Vanitas was a lot stronger than he looked and clearly it had cost him.

"Jasmine! I hope you're enjoying the show," Vanitas called, kicking over another chair in his path, "maybe now you'll get to see what a _real _man looks like."

"You're going to regret this," Jasmine told him, clutching her leg.

Vanitas dealt a swift kick to the side Riku was bleeding from, sending the boy backwards. "I'm rather enjoying this actually."

Jasmine muttered a string of obscenities under her breath and, a second later, was dealt a swift kick to the back from one of the guards she did not know.

"Shut your mouth!" the guard shouted. "You should watch the show."

Surprisingly, Jasmine broke out into another fit of giggles which shocked and surprised the guards circling her. She cocked her head to the side and grinned viciously.

"What are you laughing at?" the guard who kicked her asked, clearly confused by the girl's behavior.

Jasmine held up her wristwatch. "I feel sorry for you. Truly."

He barely had time for a response. It was all too quick. A loud pop rang through the air and the man went crashing into the floor, bleeding profusely from his chest. A second later, another man went down as did another and another.

Vanitas, who had been too preoccupied with fighting Riku, pushed the younger man off himself. "What the hell just happened?"

The remaining guards all with panic and worry on their faces pulled out their weapons.

"I don't know, Sir!"

"I think someone's in here!"

"Cops maybe?"

Riku took this chance and punched Vanitas square in the face. "Jasmine! Are you alright?"

She smirked. Reno and Elena drew their guns and fired upon all of Vanitas' guards, killing them without hesitation until they all dropped to the floor. "Better than alright."

Vanitas frowned. 'Those three were working for her the whole time…' He jumped to his feet. "No problem. There's plenty more where they came from." Just like that, several more guards stormed the area while Reno and Elena stood around Jasmine protectively.

"Too bad quantity doesn't beat quality, Vanitas," Jasmine told him. "Sorry about that."

And the entire room went black.


	54. Chapter 54: Collapse

**Author's Comments: **Whew! What an action filled chapter! I'm glad you all liked it. This chapter is more like the second half of it and I hope you all love it. The story is slowly coming to a close and it's been one wild ride. I never thought that (here's the stupid explanation of how the story came to be) a story I wrote simply out of frustration to a guy in my high school would turn into something so big! Lame I know but I'll take inspiration anyway I can get it. I want to thank the readers, those who fave, those who alert and give a shoutout to my reviewers **Princess Nexda the Wise, MikaUchiha666, Frooky90, ventus4ever, animechick247, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Queen Micky, ShatterTheHeavens **and **Eddie Camp.** You guys are awesome!

Just so you know, I'm working on all the other stories and the results from that poll are in. There was a tie between angels and witches so in a review I'd like for you guys to tell me which one you'd prefer. I wanna get going before school starts up again!

Thanks so much and tell me what you guys think! Take care!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. I only own the OCs.

* * *

'I remember when I used to be afraid of the dark,' Jasmine thought, shutting her eyes and listening on while everyone stood in the pitch-black room.

Vanitas rubbed his eyes. He could almost make out shapes and forms of people in the dark.

'This isn't good,' he turned around, searching for a window anywhere in the immediate area.

Reno bent down and slid Jasmine on his back. "Ready to go, kiddo?"

She nodded.

"You aren't leaving!" Vanitas bellowed.

Riku, who was now adjusted to the dark, picked up on Vanitas' voice and barreled into him. The two were now on the ground and Riku proceeded to beat Vanitas in the chest and face.

Vanitas kicked the younger boy in the chest and struggled to catch his breath. "Shoot him!"

"We can't see—" A guard was cut off sharply and groaned in pain, dropping to the floor.

"What is going on here?" Vanitas cried out, whirling around in a near-panic.

* * *

Yuffie stifled a giggle as she ran through the top level where most of the guards were waiting. She kicked one square in the gut and sliced him across the chest with one of her larger shuriken. Once he was down, she sprinted forward and kicked another guard in the neck, knocking him out instantly.

'Hey Yuffie!" Zack called out, sneaking up behind another one of Vanitas' goons and running him through with his prized buster sword. "Save a few for me!"

The smaller girl hopped onto a table. "You gotta get to them yourself!"

Zack and Yuffie looked at, what should have been, a conference room of sorts. Ten guard were incapacitated and laid about on the ground. "That was easy," she said, almost sounding bored.

"Cloud was right," Zack commented. "Thanks to him and Aerith, we were able to find a blind spot and sneak in while the lights were cut off."

Yuffie blinked. "Why are they off in the first place?"

The door opened slowly and both Yuffie and Zack got into a fighting stance, only to relax upon seeing Rude.

"What are you doing here?" Yuffie demanded, pointing to him accusingly.

Rude removed his glasses for a moment and grunted. "Assisting my young charge." He slid the glasses back on his face. "Seems as though she was right. She knew you two would be paired up together and enter the building through a blind spot."

"Hold up," Zack shook his head, "Jasmine KNEW we were coming?"

Rude slid a riffle over his shoulder. "Of course. What kind of guardians would you be if you left her in Vanitas' hands and let it go? She knows better."

Yuffie looked to Zack. "We really need to talk to Tifa about putting her in SOLDIER. She'd be awesome for intelligence!"

"Let's worry about that later, Yuffie," Zack said, entertaining the thought for only a moment. "What exactly is going on downstairs?"

"Jasmine had the lights cut off and I took out some of the guards from higher up. Vanitas and Riku are fighting and Reno and Elena are protecting her." Rude frowned. "I assume Cloud and Tifa are here somewhere."

Zack nodded. "They're heading down below to take care of Vanitas and get Riku out of there. I was just checking around to see how many guards were left up here."

Yuffie grinned. "All clear up here!"

"We should hurry," Rude turned on his heel. "She's injured. Vanitas shot her in the leg."

Zack scowled and picked up his sword. "Well I hope he's alive long enough for me to get to him."

* * *

Before Reno could get Jasmine to the elevator, a gunshot was fired in their direction, barely missing Reno's shoulder.

"You're not leaving with Jasmine!" Vanitas told them. With what little light there was, Vanitas shot out two windows to cast more light on the area.

"Get Riku out of here," Jasmine commanded.

Reno protested. "I'm not leaving you here with this maniac."

Jasmine panted. The pain in her leg wouldn't die out. "Protect Riku at all cost. I'll be fine."

"You can't walk with a bum leg," he argued.

"I know what I'm doing," she hissed. She hopped off his back and listened closely. There was fighting going on in the room and there were more people here than originally anticipated.

Reno sighed. "Damn you're stubborn." He reached into his jacket and handed her a gun. "Don't be afraid to use it."

Jasmine's hand shook when she held it. She gulped and then the shaking ceased. "Got it. Now go!"

Reno took off in the dim lighting and took care of a guard who was charging Riku. Riku took care of the guy he was originally handling and searched the room for any sign of Jasmine.

'Time to go,' she said mentally. Jasmine hobbled towards a wall and leaned against it for support. The elevator was nearby and therefore she knew she was near a lightswitch. She reached out, using the gun as an extension of her arm and gasped. 'Found it!' She hit one of the lights and the room was now lit by at least thirty percent, allowing all to make out their surroundings with some clarity.

Vanitas spotted Jasmine hopping towards the elevator and he took off towards her. "Get back here!"

Unfortunately for him, Tifa came out swinging and knocked him in the jaw, causing the man to go flying backwards.

"You're not going to touch her," she seethed.

For a moment, Jasmine forgot all about her mission and froze when she saw Tifa. 'I can't believe they all really came.'

Cloud finished off two more of Vanitas' men before heading over to Riku who managed to knock someone unconscious. "Are you okay?" he asked Riku, giving him a quick once over.

Riku nodded and wiped the blood from his cheek. He then winced. The wound in his side was still bleeding.

Jasmine finally made her way to the elevator and smacked her hand against the 'B' key for the basement. Before the doors could close Vanitas fired at her and she fell to the floor just as the doors closed. Jasmine's breathing was heavy as she pulled a phone from her pocket. While Reno was carrying her, she managed to sneak it from him.

She dialed for the police. "There is a hostage situation here. People have been shot. Hurry." And she hung up. Jasmine looked at the ring Vanitas gave her and chuckled. 'Let's see if he wants me now.'

* * *

"When did you all get here?" Riku asked, watching in wonder as Yuffie and Zack entered.

"What? You didn't think we'd leave you here, did ya?" Yuffie winked.

Vanitas was shaking in rage. 'That little wench is not going to win. There's no way!' Dazed but still able to move, Vanitas fired several shots at Riku and Tifa while everyone else took cover. Sprinting, he dashed over to the other elevator and slammed the 'B' button just as Jasmine did.

"Rude!" Zack shouted. The bald, sunglasses wearing man was assessing the damage. "Cut the power! He's going after Jasmine!"

Rude nodded and disappeared through a pair of double doors.

"So tell me, how did this work?" Riku inquired.

Tifa got on one knee and stared at his wound. "Cloud had Aerith give him the layout. Apparently Cloud and Aerith had seen this place before on another mission and knew the ins and outs. So they planned a sneak attack while Aerith disabled the security around the place so we could come in undetected."

"And the lights?"

"Apparently Jasmine took care of it," Cloud replied. "Knowing her, she probably already knew we were coming and planned around our actions. The police are on their way and the power should be cut off. Vanitas is probably stuck in the elevator right now."

"Let's go," Tifa said, followed by the SOLDIER group with Riku. "Time to bring her home."

* * *

Jasmine pulled herself to her feet and found herself in a parking garage. Clutching onto Vanitas' keys (which she had also snuck out) she slowly made her way over to his car.

'It's over,' she sighed heavily. 'It's finally over.'

But before she could relish the thought, she fell over when a loud _pop _rang through the air. Jasmine collapsed to the floor. She had just been shot in the arm. Jasmine rolled on her back and to her horror, found Vanitas walking casually towards her with a sick smile plastered on his face.

"I told you that you weren't leaving me," he snickered.

"I'd rather die," she moaned, aiming the gun at him with her good arm.

Vanitas paused then. "You will not shoot me. You're crazy, but not stupid."

Jasmine's hand shook again. She had the power to end his life right there on the spot. After all, he took everything from her. Her free will, her sanity, her virtue and the ability to be normal again were all stolen from her.

"You will not take a life," Vanitas turned up his nose at her, "you're still soft."

He reached down and pulled her to her feet, holding her up by her neck. Vanitas threw her roughly against his car when he heard the doors opening. It was Tifa and the group.

"Leave her alone!" Zack commanded.

Vanitas merely sneered and shot at them until he was sure the gun was out of bullets. While they all took cover, Vanitas threw open the passenger's door and tossed Jasmine inside, slamming it behind him. He ran to the driver's side and picked up the keys she dropped and started the car, speeding off past them until he turned the corner.

Tifa and Yuffie shot at the car's wheels in an attempt to stop him but it was too late. He had already barreled through the gates and was out onto the street.

Tifa fell to her knees then and buried her head in her hands. "No…Jasmine…."

"The police should be here any second," Cloud told her. "He won't get far."

Just like that, Riku's hopes were dashed. "We were so close."

* * *

Out into the night and speeding down the highway like the maniac he was, Vanitas seemed calm and composed despite all that happened. He glanced over the seat to see her crumpled, bloodied form laid out on the backseat.

"We've got a plane to catch," he told her. "I think you'll like Paris."

Jasmine smiled ruefully and clutched the gun. They were going much too fast and they were on a hill over the ocean. One sharp turn and they would go over the edge to their deaths.

She weakly raised the gun to the back of the seat where Vanitas' right arm was. "I'll pass." And she shot him.

Vanitas lost control of the car when reaching for his bleeding arm. The car began to swarm as they went downhill near a beach. Jasmine sat up and put on the seatbelt, clutching the sides and closing her eyes.

At that moment, the car swerved over to its side and began to roll continuously until finally, it crashed into a wall. Hard.

* * *

When Jasmine opened her eyes, she realized that they had crashed. Despite her disoriented state of mind and the immense pain coursing through her body.

She did not move immediately as she was concerned she might have hurt her neck. Carefully, she spit out the blood that had collected itself in her mouth and coughed. Not processing anything else other than getting out of the totaled vehicle, Jasmine unlatched her seatbelt, then the door and stumbled her way past the car.

The scent of blood was thick in the air.

What was even more sickening is that it was her blood staining the side of the road as well as her clothes.

Jasmine held onto her side which was bleeding profusely, finding it hard to keep her balance on her unsteady feet. Still she continued to walk along the freeway, hoping and praying that someone would save her. Yet Jasmine found it highly unlikely.

Her wounds from the car accident were much too great and she was losing blood much too quickly. Any moment now, she expected to fall to the floor and succumb to the utmost, permanent darkness that surely awaited her.

Jasmine tripped and fell to the ground, landing on the side that gave her the majority of her pain. She noticed that she was now facing the ocean.

For just a moment, the salt water scent overpowered her blood and Jasmine found temporary peace. She always loved the scent of the ocean. It reminded her of him.

Jasmine noticed that a pool of blood was gathering under her. She held her arms out and smiled ruefully, tears mixing with crimson as both liquids streamed down her face. Despite the loneliness she felt her entire life, Jasmine never really thought about putting herself out of her misery. Now death was at her door and there was nothing she could do about it.

She would miss Tifa, Yuffie, Zack, Aerith and Cloud for sure. They were her family. Much more so than the people she was related to by blood who caused all of this.

But then again, maybe if she had been obedient from the very beginning, perhaps things would have been different.

Then there was Sora, he always had the brightest smile and the purest spirit; Kairi was one of the sweetest people she'd ever met; Naminé was the most gentle person she'd ever come across and doubted there would never be another like her; Tidus always knew how to make her smile; Roxas was her first REAL boyfriend—perhaps she should have given him another chance back then…

HIS face came to mind and Jasmine's tears began to flow more steadily now. She didn't sob, nor whimper. She simply cried. As much pain as he caused her, Jasmine was still madly in love with him. No one would or could ever take Riku's place. But then again, there would never be a chance for someone else to come into her life given that it was coming to an end.

Jasmine felt her eye lids becoming heavy. She'd always been alone for her entire life. Now it shouldn't be anything worth thinking about. From early childhood onward to this point, she was always by herself. It didn't matter though. No one ever cared. Why should she?

But Jasmine had just gotten a taste of what life was supposed to be like. Why was it that she had to be teased with what she could never have and have that fleeting happiness torn away from her?

She soon felt a calm wash over her and her eyelids closed.

The smell of the ocean was so nice.

Jasmine hoped that Riku would find happiness somewhere with someone special. No matter how much they fussed, she still loved him.

She just wished that she didn't have to die alone.


	55. Chapter 55: Shades of Gray

**Author's Comments: **I never expected to get such an amazing response to that last chapter. Thank you guys so much. I'm getting choked up now, reading all the reviews and going through all the PMs you have sent me. I can't believe it's coming to an end. But it was a good ride. Don't worry though—there's still a few more chapters left.

I want to take a moment to thank everyone who read, those who faved, those who put the story on their alerts and give a special shout-out to the reviewers. There's quite a few of you haha. I want to thank **animechick247, UnwrittenMemory, ventus4ever, Lazyxafternoons, Sarah K.R., Queen Micky, Hitomi Kogure, Frooky90, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Khaotic Kal, , Kira Carmen, rawrrbreee, Amaya-vamp, **and **BelowtheFire**. Thank you all so much!

Now I'm done ranting. Hope you all enjoy the chapter and tell me what you think, okay? Take care!

-Skye

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. I only own the OCs.

* * *

_Jasmine smiled. She could feel the warm sand under her arms and legs as she laid flat on her back. Even the sound of the waves beating against the close shore was vividly clear to her as she kept her sense of sight cut off by keeping her eyes shut. _

"_It's so nice here," she said, deciding to open her eyes then. _

_She did so and found that she was in fact, on a beach. The skies were gray and there was a bit of fog keeping her from seeing the full ocean. Nothing but sand and water could be seen for miles around. Jasmine peaked over her shoulder and saw nothing but fog behind her. On the Destiny Islands, you could always see the houses and the boardwalk from the beach no matter how foggy it was. _

_Then it hit her._

"_I must be dead," she realized."Or close to it at least."_

_Jasmine's heart shrunk. "I knew it was going to happen. I don't know why I feel so sad." She brought her knees to her chin, brushing the sand off her basketball shorts as she did so. She stared into the sea and a tear slid down her face. _

_Her thoughts were consumed by Riku and his gorgeous eyes. _

"_I miss you already."_

* * *

Riku's parents burst in through the doors to his room in the hospital, his mother sidestepping a nurse to hug her son like there was no tomorrow.

"Are you alright, Riku?" She kissed his forehead and allowed herself to cry in front of him. "Did he hurt you?"

Riku tried to smile for his mother but it was strained. "Nothing worse than what I would have gotten playing blitzball," he replied, "and don't worry—Vanitas got a decent beating too."

Riku's father sighed. The stress was finally disappearing from his handsome face. "Good. Now, where is Jasmine?"

Tifa, who was also in the room, spoke up. "We don't know. Vanitas was able to find her as she tried to get away and took her."

Angela walked over to Tifa and embraced her. "It'll be fine. She WILL be found."

Tifa felt like a failure. 'How could I have let this happen in the first place? She was my responsibility and I failed her.'

"And she's injured as well," Tifa continued, pulling back from the hug only slightly, "If she isn't treated properly, Jasmine won't make it."

Axel knocked on the door and was let in (barely) by a nurse. "How are you?" he asked Riku, taking a look at the stitching on Riku's side.

"Been better," Riku admitted. He noticed something in Axel's hand. "What's that?"

"It's a letter from Jasmine," Axel answered. "She wanted you to have it. I came over her house a while ago but you were already gone." He was a bit hesitant to ask this next question. "Is she…?"

"We don't know where she is," Tifa told the redhead. "The police, Cloud and the others are out searching for her now."

A nurse cleared her throat. "I'm sorry," she said politely, "but we need to finish up on Riku. He'll be done in a few minutes."

Angela and the group reluctantly left and the door was shut.

Riku tore open the letter as soon as they were gone and read it despite the constant jabs of pain from the stitches being put in.

"_Riku,_

_I hope that you're in decent health when this letter gets into your hands. Judging from your actions in the past, I'd say that you actually came after me. While it irritates me to no end to know that you won't listen to me, I can't help but smile. Why? Because someone other than my family actually cared enough to come in the first place._

_When we first met, I never expected us to become friends. You were arrogant, a player, smart and you knew you could charm your way through a lot of things. While most of that was true, I learned that over time, you were beautiful inside and out as well and that you would protect anyone and everyone you cared about without fail. Even when we would talk during our 'friendship' I knew that you also have an equally gorgeous heart and an unwavering desire to do something amazing with your life._

_I pray that you still do that. _

_In all my years of loneliness, I never felt more like I belonged when I was with you. I had someone who tried to get to know me and succeeded. I could say 'I love you' a thousand times but the words alone would not be enough. It consumes me every day and I wish there was some way you could feel all that I feel. It hurts but I know you feel the same so that comforts me to an extent. Love was not something I was taught at a young age and only from Tifa and you was I fully able to understand the magnitude of such an emotion. _

_If things were different, I would have run away with you wherever you wanted. But your life is much too precious. I've done so much that I'm not proud of in these past few months. In my time with Vanitas, it's like I developed a personality just to deal with him and (while she is a part of me) I hated her and myself. He made me do things I never wanted and each time it happened I died on the inside. I'm sorry for everything. I just hope that you can forgive me one day._

_Whether I live or not I just want you to know that I love you more than anything else. Look at the video I made with your father. I hope you'll be proud of me._

_With all my heart,_

_Faye Jasmine Silva"_

Riku held his head in his hands. He could not save her and now she was either somewhere with Vanitas or dead. He had always been able to protect those he cared about and now, the person who meant the most to him was gone. He had failed her.

'Please be alright.'

* * *

_Jasmine rose to her feet. There was no point in just sitting on the beach. She assumed that there was a place she had to go to and sitting here would do nothing to get her there._

"_I wonder if they read my letters," she said to herself. "I just can't believe I'm gone."_

_Jasmine froze and blinked. Strangely, she found herself staring at her house on Twilight Town despite the fact that it was sitting right on the beach. _

_It was rather eerie and haunting the way the house sat there. Quiet, empty-looking…_

"_Just like when I was a kid except more creepy," Jasmine sighed and walked into the house, leaving the door open._

_Everything in the house was gone. The furniture, the photos on the walls…everything. Jasmine ran up the stairs to where her room was supposed to be and surprisingly, everything was there from her tidy bed, desk, bookcase and stuffed animals. _

_She recalled the days she spent there, studying until the early hours of the morning, using it as an escape from school where the students would either pick on her or avoid her altogether and hiding from her parent's watchful gaze. It was so lonely there._

_Jasmine backed out of the room and looked over the banister to find that the family piano sat there in the middle of everything. It was not there when she originally walked up the stairs. If she wasn't already dead, Jasmine would have been disturbed by this but there was nothing that could harm her now. _

_Given the fact that she was always alone, she found comfort in music. Jasmine began teaching herself when she was only four—right around the time her parents started becoming more and more scarce around the house. Whatever sounded right was how she began, building chords and making her own songs. As long as they sounded okay to her, that's how she moved forward. _

_Then Jasmine began humming along to her little tunes. Even back then, her singing voice was strange to her. It seemed much too loud. But when the notes of her voice blended in with the ones on the piano, Jasmine knew she was doing something right. _

"_You look like you've got a lot on your mind."_

_Jasmine looked up to see the version of her taking the middle road standing by the door. Despite everything she had a half smile on her face. _

"_Yeah, for a dead girl I've got too much to think about," Jasmine said dryly. _

_The other Jasmine motioned for her to leave the house and she did so. Once they were back on the beach, Jasmine saw that the family house had vanished. _

"_So is that it?" The other asked. "Are you finished?"_

"_Aren't I? I'm already dead."_

_The other laughed. "No, you're just in limbo."_

_Jasmine reeled back. "So I'm NOT dead?"_

"_Pretty close to it. But you're not gone totally…."_

* * *

The ambulance pulled up to the hospital and several doctors rushed past Sora and the group.

"What's all the commotion about?" Sora asked curiously.

Several nurses rushed to the door and the team brought in someone on a stretcher.

"She won't stop bleeding!" someone called.

"Let's get her into the operating room now!" A doctor shouted.

Roxas looked over and his face paled when he saw that the body he saw on the stretcher belonged to Jasmine. He jumped to his feet and rushed over to the group to get a better look at her, only to be held back by the doctors.

"That's my friend!" He cried.

A nurse had to hold him back. "It's going to be okay," she said gently, "we're going to start working on her now."

"What's going on, Roxas?" Naminé asked, rushing to his side.

The doctors pulled up another gurney and carefully moved Jasmine to the next one, placing an oxygen mask over her face.

"She's not breathing!" another shouted.

Naminé broke out into fresh tears at the sight of her friend. Jasmine was in bad shape. Her clothes were shredded and there was blood everywhere. Her arms and legs were slashed up with shards of glass visibly sprinkled on her skin. In addition to that, she looked pale and when they moved her body, she was as limp as can be.

Roxas pulled his sister back, shielding her from what she had seen, allowing her to cry in his arms.

Axel rested his hand on Roxas' shoulder. "Maybe you should read that letter now."

The blond nodded and pulled his sister down onto a bench. He took the letter from the pocket of his jacket, ripped it open and read.

"_Roxas,_

_Contrary to Vanitas' belief, you were the first boy to really mean something to me. Crushes came and went, but you were the first to actually ask me out on a date. Now I'm sure that might not mean something to a guy like you but to me it's something I'll always treasure. _

_You were my first friend at that school. I've never had anyone openly approach me at school before and offer a helping hand. Once again, that's another first. You're really racking them up aren't you?_

_I will be honest: back then I was so frustrated when I broke up with you and it would have been fair for me to have taken a few moments and realized that we might have been able to work a few things out. You're smart, open, kind, hardworking and really attractive. Probably one of the hottest I've ever seen, hands down. Don't get a big head now. Otherwise I'll have to have Naminé knock you upside the head. I mean it._

_But I cannot change the past and refuse to look back. You will make any girl extremely happy. Loyalty like yours is rare and it is probably your most admirable trait. She'll probably be a blond or have dark hair. I don't know, just a hunch._

_I want you to promise me you'll push forward in life and do whatever makes you happy. In addition, keep protecting Naminé. Then again, I know you'll keep the idiots away._

_You're just that amazing._

_Love, _

_Faye Jasmine Silva"_

* * *

"When we arrived on the scene," a police officer told Tifa and Cloud, "there was no one else in the car and Jasmine was further alongside the road near the beach."

Tifa wiped her puffy eyes. "So tell me, where is Vanitas?"

The officer sighed. "We have no idea. We're currently searching for him now. There's no way he could have gotten far. The wreck was too bad."

Cloud nodded. "Find him."

"Yes sir." The officer turned to his partner and rushed out of the hospital. There was something dangerous about the way the blond was staring at him that told him to get on the case ASAP.

Jasmine's parents followed a few moments later.

Sofia stepped to Tifa, fretful. "Where is she?"

Tifa was rather irritated at the fact that Sofia only seemed to show concern when things were at their worst. "She's in surgery right now," Tifa said disgustedly. "No one can get through to see her."

Sofia went on the defensive. "Calm down. This isn't my fault."

Tifa shook her head. "Of course this is partly your fault. If you and your husband didn't push her into the arms of some psycho, she'd be safe and NOT in a hospital bed. You should be ashamed of yourselves. No wonder she never wanted to be home," Tifa added under her breath. "You guys were terrible to her."

"We tried to secure a future for her. I was NOT going to have my daughter struggle," Sofia fought back, initially caught off guard by Tifa's attack on her.

Tifa felt her anger rising. "She's dying! That IS struggling! Vanitas had the two of you so far wrapped around his finger that you couldn't see how truly evil he actually was. After they became engaged, he changed her for the worst! She hardly slept—and when she did all she had were nightmares, she didn't eat as much—she was practically a zombie! Do not say you had Jasmine's best interests at heart when clearly you didn't."

Cloud pulled Tifa back from Jasmine's parents who were shocked at Tifa's outburst. Usually the young woman was calm and reserved. Now she was on the verge of tears.

Sofia fell silent and walked away from Tifa with her husband following closely behind.

"Cloud, what if she doesn't make it?" Tifa asked sadly.

"She will. Trust me."

"I should have had a better handle on the situation and fought harder to break the engagement. If Jasmine dies, I'll never forgive myself."

* * *

"_I'm so incredibly tired," Jasmine told her other self. _

"_I know you are. Who wouldn't be after going through all that you went through?"_

_Jasmine sank in the sand. "What if I stayed here forever? No one could bother me again, I could have peace and quiet, and I could be free…"_

_The other Jasmine sat next to her, a stern look in her eyes. "You shouldn't have to find happiness in death."_

"_I found a bit of happiness in the real world. I met some wonderful friends, got a record contract, and even fell in love. I never thought I'd find love to be honest. But I know I won't be the same if I get back. The darker side of me is still prevalent. She's not going away."_

_With a heavy sigh, the other Jasmine smiled ruefully. "No she's not. You went insane."_

"_And how do I live with that kind of person inside me? I've done so much wrong in the past few months. I don't know how I'll be able to live with everything."_

_Her other stared at the fog-covered ocean. "The thing that people do not tell you is that the initial pain isn't as bad as the healing process. It's more painful than the act itself because the scars stay with you for a long time. Sometimes, they never go away."_

"_I'm screwed up enough as it is," Jasmine told her, "but you know that better than anyone else. Let's just say I wake up and live through all this, what will happen once I'm back in the real world? How will my friends treat me? What will Tifa and the others think? Will Riku still love me?"_

"_As much as we'd love it, there is no going back in time. Many people hope and pray for it but it's all in vain. Even now, the hours, minutes and seconds are passing us by and we are unable to get them back. It's just a fact."_

_Jasmine blinked. "And I'm on the way to dying, right?"_

"_Yes," she replied. "Everyone is worried about you. You're so young and you have the rest of your life to get things back to where you want them to be." _

_Jasmine knew that she had people caring about her well-being in the real world. If she were in their places, she'd worried sick. "If my body goes out, then I'm through regardless."_

"_It's just like you said…" the other trailed off, disappearing completely._

"_Pray for the best, expect the worst," Jasmine finished. "But I wonder which is worse: death with regrets or living with the scars."_

* * *

**Author's Comments: **Like I said, hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Oh and there is a new poll on my profile page and it's to see if you guys would like to see a sequel for Heartbreakers. Tell me what you think and I'll see you all later!

_-Skye  
_


	56. Chapter 56: I'm Back

**Author's Comments:** Oh my goodness, it's almost over. I'm not gonna bore you guys with a long AC but let me thank all the readers, those who fave, those who alert and give a special shoutout to my reviewers **animechick247, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, ShatterTheHeavens, Sarah K.R., Queen Micky, Lazyxafternoons, Kira Carmen, Kanika Meskhenet, Frooky90, **and **Hitomi Kogure.** Thank you so much you guys!

Now, I'm still leaving the poll open for now but I plan on closing it when I upload chapter 58. So tell me whether you guys want a sequel, okay? It's kind of important because the results will dictate how I finish off the story so I can't do it without you guys! On another note, I'm going to upload another chapter of _Stone Cold _which is more of a Vanitas centered fic. In addition ALL other stories will be updated this weekend so look out for that. Thanks again for supporting the story. You guys are awesome!

-Skye

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. I only own the OCs.

* * *

"_Sora,_

_There's something a bit magical about you. I've never met anyone with a heart as pure as yours. From day one, you welcomed me into your group with open arms with a smile I'll never forget. Your optimism is probably your best quality. I swear, in another life you would have been some kind of hero. I believe that with all my heart._

_You've got everything going for you. Friends, family and Kairi all stand by your side. I want to apologize for upsetting your family. I was selfish with my plans to ruin Vanitas and possibly having this reflect poorly on your family. For that I ask that you forgive me. _

_However you must understand that everything I did to Vanitas was not simply because I did not like the boy. All the pain he inflicted was too much to bear. While it has never been in my interests to perform violence on others, I could not allow Vanitas to escape from this unscathed physically or emotionally. Once again, please apologize to your parents and family for me.  
_

_It would have been nice to have been related to you though. You're like the younger brother I always wished to have and I love you dearly. _

_Protect Kairi. She is a wonderful girl and I know you two will be happy together. Take care of Riku. If there's one person who could do this, it would be you."_

The spiky-haired boy wiped a tear from his eye before anyone could notice. He never expected Jasmine to say such wonderful things about him.

Kairi set a hand on his knee. "She's going to wake up, Sora. Just wait and see."

The group waited two hours in the emergency room, waiting on news from the doctor on how Jasmine was doing. However, with time passing by they were becoming more and more anxious by the second.

A doctor walked from behind the office. She was a bit older with gray streaks in her short brown hair. Sensing the tension and anxiety in the room, she smiled in an attempt to ease everyone's wrecked nerves.

"We have good news," the doctor began slowly, "the bullets were removed successfully and we have the situation a bit more under control."

Still, Tifa was not at ease. "Is she stable?"

The doctor's smile slipped a bit. "No. Right now Faye is in critical condition. We have to keep her here and monitor her closely. When she and the man were in that car accident, she took on a lot of damage and there might be some head trauma. Luckily, she was able to pull herself out of the wreck and get out. From what I was told, the car was totaled."

"What else?" Tifa asked tiredly.

"Well, we found traces of a rare drug used to paralyze humans in her system. Most of it has been worked out of her body but the remains still made her weak. Also, she has several broken ribs. Once she becomes a bit more stable, we'll go ahead and work on stitching her up. Faye has several wounds in her torso that need to be tended to."

Zack was tired of having this conversation drawn out. "Look, all we want to know is what her chances are of living. Nothing else really matters."

Aerith looked to Zack, startled by how abrupt he was being. Then again, she knew he was just voicing the opinion of everyone in the room.

The doctor sighed. "If she can survive the night, then things will look a little better. However I will be honest: I've never had to work with someone who has been through so much. But we won't leave her until she becomes stable. In addition to that, it would be wise for you all to send the police after whoever it was who did this to her. If he's still out there, there's a chance that he'll come back."

Cloud and Zack nodded. "We understand," the attractive blond nodded to Zack. "Call Vincent. He'll make sure this gets taken care of."

The SOLDIER member stepped out of the room, cell phone in hand.

"Jasmine's uncle?" Tifa asked quizzically. "I hear he and Jasmine's mother haven't spoken in years."

Aerith patted Tifa's shoulder. "True. But he did care about Jasmine—despite being away all the time. "

"But why are we calling him in the first place?"

Aerith's expression became quite grim. "Because he will want to know if Jasmine doesn't make it," she said quietly.

Tifa broke out into fresh tears then without crying. She simply sat there with her head in her hands until Aerith wrapped her arms protectively around her.

* * *

_Jasmine continued her journey down the beach, her thoughts weighing in heavy on her. _

"_But what if Vanitas didn't die?" she asked herself. "I'll have to go back to my ways to take him down. I don't want that at all."_

_She gazed into the sky. For some reason, it was starting to clear._

'_What if I don't find peace in death? I'm certain, with all the things I've done I'll end up in hell. I can't absolve myself of my sins when I'm ready to meet my judgment.' Jasmine's logic led her to, 'then I won't get rest in the afterlife either.' But Jasmine smirked. "If I see Vanitas in hell too, I know I will have done things right."_

_Jasmine froze. She heard a faint voice calling out to her._

"_Roxas?"_

* * *

It had been well over ten hours since Jasmine had been found. Seeing as it had been a long night, the group waiting for her decided to go home, shower and change, then head back down to the hospital to see if Jasmine had gotten better.

Roxas had managed to persuade Naminé to stay at home and get some sleep. He knew his sister well. She didn't operate well without the proper rest. While his sister would get some sleep back at the house and with everyone else on their way back to freshen up, Roxas would have time to watch Jasmine with no one around.

He checked in with a nurse up front and signed his name.

She recognized him as one of the young men from earlier. "She should still be asleep, just as a heads up."

Roxas nodded. He held a bouquet of flowers in his arms and started off towards Jasmine's room.

"Wait!" The nurse called out. "Are you by any chance her boyfriend?" She admired the beautiful flowers. "She's lucky to have a guy like you by her side."

Roxas didn't bother correcting the girl. Instead he thanked her and went on his way to see Jasmine.

She was kept in a room at the far end of that particular hospital wing. From what Riku's mother had told them, she was trying her hardest to keep the press from finding anything out about the accident. It would just cause more stress for Jasmine later on and it would be best to deal with it later when her strength was back up.

A doctor standing by the door to Jasmine's room immediately recognized Roxas. He told the young boy, "She hasn't woken up yet."

Roxas nodded in understanding. "Do you know when though?"

With a sullen look on his face, the doctor shook his head. "You can go in now," he said simply, standing aside for Roxas to enter the door.

Taking a deep breath, Roxas entered and shut the door behind him. He had never been a fan of hospitals. Roxas spotted Jasmine on the bed and shivered. She was hooked up to all these different machines and had an oxygen mask over her face. Her arms were bandaged and her hair was tied into a messy braid. Her skin even had a strange sort of paleness to it as well as her lips.

Roxas pulled up a seat to her bedside, being careful of the cords and wires hooked up from the machines to her body. He put the flowers on a stand next to her and took a seat.

She already looked gone.

Roxas closed his eyes and smiled ruefully. "You were always so much smarter than me. I knew it back then. But to have pulled all _this_ off? You really are something special. You're a genius. Straight-A student, a loyal, kind friend," he chuckled then, "if you were reborn into another world, I swear you'd be the best criminal mastermind in the history of the world. I'll make sure I never get on your bad side again. And then," he opened his eyes and sadness tainted his gorgeous blue orbs, "you were an amazing girlfriend and even though it didn't work out, I was happiest when I was with you."

He watched her face for any sign of moment or life. There was no more there than when he first entered.

"I love you, Jasmine. And there is a part of me that always will. I don't mind telling you or anyone else for that matter. But there are other people who care about you too and if you don't make it, they'll be devastated." He clutched his knees and his head drooped. "I'll be devastated if you don't wake up. You have so much to live for. I just pray that you don't give up."

Jasmine took in a deep breath then, causing Roxas to nearly jump out of his skin. He stared at her in disbelief as her chest rose and fell with the breath. Then, just as quickly, she fell back to her still, unresponsive state.

"And even though I hate to admit it, you need to go back to Riku. As crazy as he can be sometimes, I know you guys will be happy together."

Roxas decided it would be best to have the doctors check her out and see if anything else had changed. He stood up and carefully leaned over to her bed and pulled her bangs out of her forehead. "Don't let us down," and he softly kissed her there before quickly leaving the room.

* * *

_Jasmine gasped. "That was Roxas," she realized. "He must be on the other side." She could have sworn she heard him say "Don't give up" or something along the lines of that. _

"_They must have found my body and I must be in a hospital," she said. _

'_I must have a chance of living then…'_

* * *

Riku had been to visit Jasmine for a week and there was still no word on her recovery. The doctors had said she was out of immediate danger, but that she had not woken up since the incident. And still everyday during the break he would continue to sit by her bedside and watch her, hoping that she would open her eyes and come back.

This day was no different. Riku shut the door behind him and took a seat by her bedside.

He stared at her long and hard, the words written on the letter she sent to him by way of Axel burned into his mind.

With a heavy sigh and a heavy heart, Riku said, "There's no way someone could love me that much."

Riku knew everything. Axel had found him a few days ago and told him the story he told to everyone else. Riku understood it all from the very first introduction to Vanitas, to the emotional, physical and sexual abuse Jasmine had to endure to keep Vanitas at bay, and finally to end where Jasmine destroyed all that Vanitas had built up by burning twenty million dollars.

All the warnings, all the threats she made to him to stay away, it was to protect him from Vanitas because she knew what he was capable of. And then Jasmine, after the break up, pushed him away because she knew what she was capable of so that he wouldn't see her in that state.

"You really must have suffered," Riku began, "and you were right about me. I was spoiled and didn't know much about pain or hurt. You were lonely and you suffered more than I could ever understand. I guess now it's my turn to suffer."

He paused and reached out to hold her hand. It was so light inside of his. Riku waited for her eyes to open like always. Jasmine was a light sleeper and any touching or movement would surely wake her. He would always joke that she was paranoid. She'd curse at him and roll over. Then she would chuckle. But even then it was strained.

"I don't deserve you, I know that. I'm selfish, and I know that too. But I'm going to be selfish again and ask that you come back to all of us." Riku squeezed her hand. "I am not used to begging for anything, that's for sure. But this might just be the perfect time to do so."

* * *

_Jasmine stopped in the middle of her walk. She had been in this limbo for so long and she was so exhausted. The only thing keeping her spirits up were the voices of her friends playing over and over in her head softly. She could not make out everything they said to her, but she knew that everything said was with love, care and deep concern. It broke her heart knowing that they were hurting but she was stuck in this awful place._

"_Is this what death is supposed to be like?"_

_And then Jasmine heard a voice. Not just any voice, but Riku's._

_All the emotions she felt for Riku swelled up inside her, almost choking her. Even though she knew she had done so much wrong in her life and wanted to rest in peace, the sound of Riku's voice was enough for her to want to find her way back to him, to hold him, to apologize and to just be with him. _

_She looked up and the skies became clearer to the point where she was seeing patches of blue. _

"_He's calling you." The middle Jasmine appeared before her, walking along the shore with a slight smile on her face. "He wants to see you."_

"_I don't deserve him," Jasmine argued. "He has his whole life ahead of him and I'm on my way to hell."_

_Her other rolled her eyes. "I thought we were done with this pitiful act. We already went through it with your drinking episode. Where is the girl who single-handedly restored her father's finances and practically destroyed a maniac? Did she give up? Is she gone?"_

_Jasmine opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Then finally she muttered, "She's here. But she's tired."_

"_And you'll let Riku go on forever with a heavy heart knowing he lost the love of his life?"_

"_We don't know that! He might actually find someone who makes him happy." The last part Jasmine said quietly. "If I die and he finds happiness, then it will have been worth something."_

"_You're such a dumbass," the other said with a giggle, "if you would see the way he looks at you, then you'd know that you're the one he's supposed to be with and vice versa."_

_Jasmine's face twisted into a mixture of pain and sadness, then finally, hope._

"_I do want to see him again," she admitted._

_The other nodded. She turned slowly and walked into the ocean, not even caring that the water was rising slowly to her knees. She stopped when the water reached her waist. _

_Jasmine stared at her curiously. She noticed then that the sky was now a brilliant twilight with several pink and orange clouds skating across the sky. _

"_Where will you go?" she asked, suddenly feeling as though she were saying goodbye to a friend for the last time._

_The other waved her over and Jasmine followed. "Faye, you'll see me again."_

_Jasmine trudged her way through the clear waters and over to the other. "When?" Jasmine asked, almost pleading._

_The other pointed to the sky. Jasmine's eyes followed and she gasped. Shooting stars shot through the air. It was almost unreal._

"_Sooner than you think," the other told her, smiling. _

_It was then that Jasmine's breath became caught in her throat. She felt the world give way under her and she began to fall backwards into the sea._

* * *

Riku cleared his throat and fished into his pocket. Axel had also given him the ring he gave Jasmine on her birthday. Riku stood up and slid the ring on her ring finger and held her hand, kissing it lightly.

Just then, Jasmine inhaled sharply, causing Riku to jump back in surprise.

Once her chest fell, Jasmine's breathing became more steady and even. Then, after what seemed like an eternity when it was only a second, her eyes fluttered open.

"Faye!" Riku shouted, hovering over her and cradling her face in his hands. Even though her eyes were open, they were unfocussed and hazy as if she wasn't completely there. But that didn't matter to Riku. She was alive.

He kissed her forehead tenderly and ran to alert the doctors that she had woken up.

Jasmine blinked as the doctors rushed in. 'I'm back.'


	57. Chapter 57: Cat and Mouse

**Author's Comment: **This is going to come as a bit of a shock, but the story will end a few chapters sooner than I had anticipated. Either way check up on Friday for the final chapter and then on Sunday for the epilogue. I want to thank every single one of you for supporting the story from my readers, those who favorite, those who alert, and I want to give a shoutout to the reviewers **Kira Carmen, Sarah K.R., animechick247, ShatterTheHeavens, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Jinxfrost14, KittyFox1, Lazyxafternoons, Queen Micky, Khaotic Kal, Kanika Meskhenet **and **rawrrbreee. **You guys are so awesome!

Once again, look out soon for the last chapter and then the epilogue. Take care and tell me what you think!

-Skye

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. I own the OCs.

* * *

The same doctor who had been taking care of Jasmine closed the door while the nurses tended to her wounds. Her expression was cheerful as she began speaking to Tifa and Riku.

"It's incredible," she began, "I've never seen anyone recover from such a traumatic experience ever in my career. Faye is a strong girl. Hopefully she'll be home by Christmas and you guys can enjoy the holiday together."

Tifa sighed in relief. This was the best news she had heard in a long time. She reached out to shake the doctor's hand. "Thank you so much for everything. If it wasn't for you, Jasmine wouldn't have made it."

The doctor tapped her clipboard and pointed to Jasmine. Through large window looking into her room, Jasmine could be seen sitting up with her back to everyone, staring outside at the rain gently falling. "It was more Jasmine than anything."

"But…" Tifa shifted on her feet, "…why hasn't she spoken? She's been awake for 24 hours."

The graying brunette shrugged her shoulders and clipped her pen. "There's no damage to her vocal chords—which is good because she is a singer—but I'd say shock might be a key part of it. From what Axel has told me, she went through quite an ordeal and is processing everything." She passed by Tifa and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Just give it some time. She'll come around."

Tifa stopped her before she left. "Her ex-fiancée has not been found yet. There will be someone here to protect her from now until she checks out."

The doctor nodded. "Do what you must. Faye still isn't in any condition to get into a confrontation. We JUST got her out of immediate danger."

"Vincent Valentine, her uncle, will be here in a few days," Tifa told her. "Make sure you let the staff know."

"Understood." And with that, the doctor disappeared into an office.

Riku spoke freely, irritation clear on his face. "I can't believe that monster is still out there somewhere."

"Me neither," Tifa agreed, "but the police and Cloud, Zack and everyone else are out there searching for him. Vanitas _will_ be found. Make no mistake about that." She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the window to Jasmine's room. Tifa took the conversation on a more pleasant turn. "I'll never be able to thank you for what you did for Jasmine."

Riku stared at her, eyes hinting at mild sadness at having to see Tifa in this state. He half expected her to be more social with Jasmine's recovery, but then again with everything that happened he understood that it would take a little more time before things went back to normal for everyone. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Tifa giggled then, surprising Riku. She explained the reason for her laughter. "I'll be back in a few. Me and your mother have a little bet going on and I think I'm going to win this one."

Before Riku could inquire as to what the bet was, Tifa had already disappeared down the hall.

* * *

Now that Jasmine had a bath and her hair was washed, she held a pair of scissors in her hand. Her hair was now at her waist. Slowly and carefully, especially because she was still sore, Jasmine took off several inches of hair so that it was a few inches above her elbows. She set the scissors down and stared at the hair that now sat in her lap. It was as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It certainly made things simpler. Now she didn't have to worry about her braid possibly snagging onto anything.

A nurse came by and took the discarded hair, tossing it into a bag and removing it from the room.

'What now?' She asked herself. 'Where do I go from here? It feels like I have to rebuild everything from the bottom all the way back up.' Jasmine's eyes became fixated on the rain. It hadn't stopped raining on and off since she came back into consciousness. While it was insanely relaxing and calming, it also made her sad as well.

Now that she was back, things would be different. Jasmine knew she would have to go to the police and have to explain everything herself even though Axel had done it all for her. Jasmine felt tainted despite the fact that she was the victim in all of this. How would her friends treat her? How would her family react? Would Riku still want her even though she had been Vanitas' toy for months on end? There was no way things would go back to normal.

A knock on the door caused Jasmine to briefly break from her troubled thoughts.

"Miss Silva," a young nurse said shyly, "you have a few visitors who wish to see you. Is that alright?"

Jasmine said nothing. While she was very reluctant to see anyone and knew that she could always go back to sleep (something which seemed to come as easy as breathing nowadays), she knew that her friends were worried about her. She did not have to speak. All Jasmine had to do was show them that she was well.

She relaxed back in bed and sighed. The nurse let in Sora, Roxas, Kairi, Selphie, Naminé, Tidus and Riku.

Selphie sprang forward first and burst into fresh tears, hovering over Jasmine like a hawk. "You had us so worried!" she wailed over Jasmine. "Don't you ever do something like that again without telling—wait, DON'T do anything like that again period!"

Tidus laughed and pulled Selphie away, allowing her to cry into his arms. "She's still sick dummy," he scolded lightly, "you don't want to freak her out, do you?"

Kairi smiled and placed a hand over one of Jasmine's. "We know you're not really speaking so we understand."

"We're just glad you're okay," Sora told her, flashing a cheesy grin. Jasmine cracked a small grin at this. "And my parents wanted to speak to you as well." Just as quickly, the smile disappeared. She wasn't ready to deal with Sora's parents. Noticing the reluctance on her the subject, Sora reassured her that everything would be okay.

Sora's parents walked in cautiously. His mother was short with pale skin, black hair and had Sora's playful, puppy dog royal-blue eyes. His father took after Sora in that he had more of a tan, he was tall and his light brown hair was spiked as well (but not to the extreme that Sora's was).

The group of friends left for a moment while Jasmine was alone with Sora and his family. It was Sora's father who spoke first.

"I cannot express to you how sorry my family and I are for what Vanitas has done," Sora's father said sadly. He, his wife and even Sora bowed to Jasmine, begging for forgiveness. He continued on, still in a deep bow. "It is our fault. We should have done more to protect you from Vanitas. When we heard of his engagement to you, we were skeptical and concerned. Even when he was younger, Vanitas did not seem stable. However, we should have acted sooner. You did not deserve this and while we know it is a too late, we hope that you can forgive our family."

Jasmine weakly reached out to Sora and he peeked up from his bow. He stared at her hand and then her eyes. There was no malice or hate anywhere to be found in her hazel orbs, only sensitivity and warmth. Sora stood up and took her hand and smile, mouthing "thank you".

"She's not one to hold a grudge," Sora told his family, "she's too kind for that. Jasmine knows that you guys had nothing to do with it."

Sora's mother and father rose, relief now in their faces. His mom smiled. "You're an angel. Whatever you need from here on out, let us know and it's done."

Sora gave Jasmine's hand a tighter squeeze. "It woulda been awesome if you were part of the family formally, but it's okay. You don't need to be married to Vanitas. You're already a sister to me."

Jasmine's chest swelled with the warmth from Sora's words. 'People like this shouldn't be around someone like me. They're so good…'

"If there is anything at all you need Jasmine," his mother told her kindly. It was then that Jasmine knew where Sora got his spirit from. She could see his spirit in her eyes and vice versa. "Do not hesitate to call us."

She nodded to let them know she understood. However, Jasmine's eyelids began to droop. Even though she was making a recovery, she was still very much ill. It pained her to move her legs (probably from the bullet her put in her leg) and her arms were still very sore from pulling herself out of the wreck. Sleep had threatened to take hold of her long ago but with her friends and family dropping in on her, she wanted to at least be able to show them that she had survived. In addition to that, the rain and cloudy weather weren't helping her in staying awake.

Jasmine faded out for a moment and found that Sora and his parents were gone and that it was only Riku in the room.

It didn't make sense to Jasmine for someone like Riku to love her so much. It also didn't make sense for her to love him as much as she did. Jasmine was never an overemotional person. She hid most of her feelings so that no one would mistake it for weakness and for the most part, it kept her safe. Dealing with an emotion as strong as love was challenging and even now, despite the fact that she knew he loved her as well, the weight of it was enough to crush her.

Riku took a seat on the stool by her bed and flashed a smile all while brushing her bangs out of her face. "We might be able to convince the doctors to let you go for Christmas," he said, "all you have to do is be on your best behavior."

Jasmine rolled her eyes at the statement and the tone at which Riku said it. It was as if he were speaking to a little kid.

"Good, I see some of that personality coming back," he chuckled. "I'm not gonna pick on you too much though." Riku softly caressed her cheek. "I need you to get better, okay?"

'This feeling is never going away,' Jasmine realized. She yawned and shut her eyes against her will. Jasmine could have continued to stare into Riku's eyes forever but the pain medication she was on was preventing her from staying awake.

* * *

Tifa hung up the phone and turned to Cloud and Aerith. "Vincent is on his way now. The hospital is giving him special permission to act as her bodyguard seeing as Vanitas hasn't been found."

Zack, who sat at the bar, rolled his eyes. "You'd think that the bastard would go ahead and just die."

Aerith gave him an incredulous stare. "It's not good to wish death on anyone, Zack."

"He tried to kill Jasmine. I think that's grounds for wanting him six feet under."

Cloud stared at the folders Axel left for them. "Vanitas was not going to kill her. Judging from the information here, he was obsessed with her for her intellect and cunning. Vanitas probably couldn't handle someone on his level and therefore wanted to keep Jasmine for that purpose. Besides, he was also attracted to her. Vanitas would probably see it as a waste if he killed her."

Yuffie drank her soda and set the can down on the table. "What a freak," she grumbled, "I wanna see him come for Jasmine again. I'll wring his stupid neck!"

Tifa _shushed _Yuffie. She had a headache and screaming was not going to make it any better. "We all want Vanitas behind bars, that much is certain. If he's intelligent, he'll stay away until things cool off."

"Vanitas is smart, we already know that," Yuffie placed both hands on the bar in front of her and frowned, "but he's also _insane_. He may not listen to reason and do whatever the hell he wants. After all, he's done it since day one. What's stopping him now?"

The room fell silent and the air became heavy. Suddenly, a realization came to Tifa. "I don't think Jasmine will be safe here anymore," she said.

Aerith closed the laptop she was sitting in front of. "If Vanitas isn't found soon, Jasmine may have to be sent somewhere else for protection and so she can get better. The chances of Vanitas coming back for Jasmine are extremely high and she may not live if he comes after her a second time."

The words Aerith spoke weighed heavy on Tifa's heart. She and Jasmine were so close to getting away from Vanitas and her parents. They could have been happy together but if this is what would be best for Jasmine, it was Tifa's responsibility to make sure it happened.

"We'll talk about it later," Tifa sank into a nearby chair. "Hopefully Vanitas will be caught and it won't even be an option."

* * *

Jasmine relaxed in her hospital bed later that following evening. Unfortunately it was raining again and she did not want to go back to sleep. She had done enough of that since she entered the hospital and Jasmine was antsy, ready to get back up and try to walk and move on her own.

She felt trapped and after the incident with Vanitas, she wanted to do nothing else to bring the feeling back to her.

A nurse switched off the light. "I'll come back to check on you, Miss Silva."

Without protesting, Jasmine turned over in the bed and sighed when darkness took over.

* * *

The girl's eyes snapped open and she wiped the sweat from her brow, being ever so careful as to not snag the IV in her arm.

Jasmine had a nightmare. It wasn't anything too detailed but vivid enough to raise her heartrate. Jasmine was running through the streets of the Destiny Islands away from someone. She did not turn around to see who exactly it was chasing her, but she knew she had to get away. Jasmine eventually made her way to the ocean, right to the place where the car accident way. However, Jasmine got too close to the edge and slipped over the cliff to fall into the jagged rocks in the ocean.

She rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed. Despite being awake, she didn't feel any better. Jasmine threw the sheets off her legs and sighed heavily. 'Looks like I won't be getting any rest.'

"How are you, my love?"

Jasmine's eyes widened with fear and to her absolute horror, Vanitas was standing in the far corner of the room with his hands crossed over his chest with amber eyes blazing.

He pushed himself off the wall and smiled. "Glad to see you're awake. I had to be careful and not reveal myself until the very last minute. I wanted to…_surprise _you."

Jasmine knew that she could not fight Vanitas and in addition to that, most of the hospital staff were on the far end of the floor so (even if she could) screaming was not going to be very effective.

"I promised I'd take you to France," Vanitas said cheerfully, "and I always hold up my end of the deal."

Jasmine stared at him. Vanitas looked completely fine save for the bandages over his arms and the small cuts on his neck. She could not tell what the rest of him looked like under his v-neck t-shirt and jeans but from the magnitude of the accident, he had to have some type of heavy damage to his body.

Vanitas caught her staring at him and smirked. "The accident did leave a few scars," he pulled up his shirt and revealed that his entire torso was bandaged, "but it won't be a problem. They should heal soon. Now," he began to make his way over to her, "let's get you out of here. I have a wonderful doctor who'd be able to take care of you from the comfort of our new home."

Adrenaline rushed through her body and a sense of danger pushed Jasmine to make a move now. Jasmine bit her lip and tore out the IV and everything else hooking her up to the machines. She winced in pain and hopped out of bed, being careful not to land on her bad leg.

"Where do you think you're going?" he chuckled, freezing in his spot and watching her try to move. His eyes then widened. "Oh I see! You wanna play cat and mouse. This should be interesting."

Jasmine spotted a scalpel on one of the tables and grabbed it, hopping to the door and throwing it open while hobbling out.

"I'll give you a head start," Vanitas called, watching Jasmine struggle down the hall, "I'll come find you in 10…9…8…"

Had Jasmine been able to scream, now would have been the perfect time to do so. All she could do was try and make her way down the hall and get away from him. However, with one bad leg and a bad arm, things did not seem like they would play in her favor.

Jasmine tripped and fell she turned a corner at the end of the hall, groaning as she did so. When she looked up, Vanitas was already at her feet, staring down at her with a twisted, sadistic look in his eyes.

"What's wrong, beautiful? Cat got your tongue?"

Before she could attempt to respond, Vanitas grabbed her by the front of her shirt and slammed her into the wall, causing Jasmine to wince in pain.

"It's not my style to play fair," Vanitas whispered, "but only for you will I make an exception."

Jasmine listened carefully and clutched the scalpel in her hand, ready to use it whenever the chance arrived.

"I _will _have you, make no mistake about that," Vanitas began, "but I believe that with an opponent like you, I should probably wait until you are healed before we can get back to business. I'd rather have you at your absolute best than at your worst. I can take you right now and we leave peacefully..._or_ I can wait."

The last part caught Jasmine's attention.

"I can wait a year for you to heal completely and then I'll come back. It's your choice, but I need an answer now. I'm on a tight schedule."

Jasmine finally realized that this would never be over between herself and unless either one of them or both were dead or behind bars. He would not stop his advances for anything. The determination was clear in his vibrant, cold eyes.

She pulled her lips into a smirk and dropped the knife. Jasmine felt herself slipping again to her darker side but this time, the middle stood her ground. In order to survive this fight, Jasmine was going to have to rely on both of them. She knew what she had to do.

Jasmine cleared her throat. "I'll see you in a year," she said hoarsely.

Vanitas' eyes widened. He loved a challenge. "Perfect," he pressed his lips to hers forcefully, savoring the kiss like it would be their last. "Till then, my love." And with that Vanitas whipped around and headed for the elevator without another word.

Jasmine slipped to the ground, no longer being able to stand on her own. In spite of the horrors facing her and possibly her family, Jasmine began to laugh uncontrollably, clutching her chest.

'I'll see you then,' she thought while laughing into the night.


	58. Chapter 58: I'm Sorry You Loved Me

**Author's Comments: **It's finally here you guys. The last chapter of _Heartbreakers_. I remember starting this as a senior in high school and now I'm a second year at university. Time really does fly. It's amazing actually. It took me so long to write this chapter because I wanted everything to flow perfectly.

Right now, I'm on the verge of tears. Never before have I had such a response to a story. The friends I've come across here are wonderful and I wish you all the best. Don't worry, I'll still be writing. In fact, there will be a sneak peak of the sequel _Sins and an Absolution _coming up in the next couple of days so don't worry! I won't leave the story where it ends off. That would be unfair.

I wanna thank the readers, those who have emailed me, those who have alerted myself and the story and the reviewers **animechick247, Sarah K.R. , Princess Nexda the fighter, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Khaotic Kal, Kanika Meskhenet, ventus4ever, KittyFox1, Kira Carmen, ShatterTheHeavens, Frooky90, rawrrbreee, Lazyxafternoons, Queen Micky, **and **Jinxfrost14.**

I know I've said this like 57 times, but you guys are amazing. Really, you are. I hope you all stick around for the sneak peak coming up in a few days and for my other stories. Now that I have a week off, I'll be able to crank out some chapters soon.

Once again, thanks you guys and take care. Leave a comment and enjoy!

-Skye

* * *

_I will not stand by this time and watch my future crumble before me._

* * *

The doctor walked side by side with Tifa and tapped on the door to Jasmine's hospital room with her ballpoint pen.

"She's unstable," the doctor tucked the pen away in her coat pocket. She carefully observed Jasmine's odd behavior and leaned against the doorframe. Riku's mother had connections with the hospital and insisted that Jasmine be placed in one of the largest (and most secluded) rooms available in that wing with nurses checking in on her every hour on the hour.

"I'm afraid she might be a danger to herself and others." The doctor took a quick glance at her clipboard, studying it carefully.

Tifa refused to believe the claim. "No," she shook her head. Tifa recognized that smirk. "She's just thinking—Jasmine is NOT insane."

"We found her on the floor in the hallway laughing maniacally." The doctor seemed reluctant to continue with her explanation but did so anyway for the sake of Jasmine's guardian. "We had to sedate her. Jasmine kept screaming something about 'He is coming' and 'Gentleman' and 'not this time' to herself before she went unconscious. It was …unsettling to say the least."

Tifa leaned against the glass. 'It'll only be for a while,' she told herself for the twentieth time that day. 'It's for her own good.' She bit her bottom lip. "We're sending her to live with Vincent Valentine, her uncle, for a while. We figure that with all that's happened she needs to get away from the island."

The doctor was curious. "Oh? How is he with Jasmine?"

Tifa zipped up her hoodie. "Vincent is….quiet._ Very _quiet," she stressed, "and he's a bit of a loner. However, he cares about Jasmine more than anyone else in the world. In addition to that, Vincent Valentine is part of SOLDIER. Jasmine will be safe with him."

It was quite clear that Tifa did not want to give Jasmine up.

"Everything WILL work out, trust me." The doctor offered a small smile to comfort and console Tifa.

"I certainly hope so."

* * *

_My sanity is slipping slowly but I will use that to my advantage._

* * *

"Be careful," a nurse advised. She led Jasmine's parents to an empty visiting room where Jasmine sat, back facing them. Jasmine was seated on the bench facing the window. The girl was so still that it was as if she were made of stone. It wasn't just odd, it was also very eerie.

The nurse held the door open for the Silva family. "She still isn't speaking much. Don't do anything to aggravate her," she advised cautiously.

Mr. Silva frowned. "I think I can handle my own daughter," he replied curtly.

The skittish nurse left without another word. She didn't want to have to face those angry hazel eyes any longer than absolutely necessary.

Sofia walked over to her daughter first, looking like she was approaching a tiger in it's cage. There was something very disturbing about the way Jasmine sat in her frozen state. It like Sofia expected the girl to pounce like a fierce predator with no warning at any moment.

"Jasmine," Sofia called softly. "It's me, honey."

Jasmine did not move, not even for the sound of her mother's voice.

Sofia took a seat on the bench where Jasmine was. She cleared her throat and tried to get a good look at her daughter. She noticed that Jasmine's hair was several inches shorter than when it was when she left with Vanitas. "You're hair looks good," she offered, reaching out to touch her hair only to pull her hand back before she could continue the act. "But then again, you're a beautiful girl to begin with. Hair doesn't matter."

Jasmine licked her lips and in a dark, low voice she said, "Funny how quickly you seemed to change your mind." She paused, "Too bad you couldn't change your minds about Vanitas. Maybe then I'd be in decent shape instead of stuck in some hospital."

Sofia's eyes widened in fear at the darkness of her child's tone of voice. It was definitely evil. "We were wrong," she started slowly. "We came here to apologize."

Jasmine closed her eyes and smiled. "I_ don't _think that quite covers it."

Mr. Silva didn't appreciate Jasmine's tone. "Vanitas was insane. How was I supposed to know things would turn out like this?"

A sigh escaped Jasmine's lips. "Times like these make me _almost_ wish I let Vanitas run you dry. You failed horribly as a father."

A mask of horror appeared on Sofia's face. "Young lady!"

"Oh shut up," Jasmine said calmly, yet sharply, causing Sofia to silence herself. "The things I went through with the two of you and Vanitas almost put me in my grave. From _your _gross negligence, to _his _obsessive behavior, I'm surprised I'm still alive right now."

Mr. Silva stood in front of Jasmine, not even caring about her fragile state. "It's clear that you've had too much freedom here on the island. We're taking you back with us and you will finish out your senior year at an all-girls school."

Jasmine cracked her neck loudly and pulled on the hem of her white, hospital shorts. "If you think I'm coming to live with you, you're as insane as Vanitas is."

Sofia could see that her husband was getting angrier by the second. If this continued any longer, Mr. Silva might just strike the girl despite the fact that she was still under hospital care. "We should all calm down and take a deep breath. Jasmine," she turned to her daughter, "apologize to your father for being disrespectful."

She puckered her lips out. "Words mean little to me anymore. And if anything, you two should be the ones apologizing_._ I'm sure you've been made aware of _everything_ Vanitas did to me. Tell me father, how does it feel to know you tried to sell your daughter off to some creep who beat her and sexually abused her on a regular basis?"

"Jasmine," Sofia warned, noticing that her husband's face was turning red.

"Tell me: how does it feel knowing that the daughter you shunned for all those years had to save your ass to keep you from going broke? I'd say that you should feel like a complete idiot but then again," Jasmine stared at her father hatefully and then her expression softened, "you probably can't fathom feeling such emotions."

Mr. Silva fell silent then and sighed. He tried and tried to find the girl he had known for so long who was silent, reserved, calm and rational but she was completely lost to him. The Jasmine he was looking at now was teetering over the edge of insanity, just like his previous protégée.

Jasmine rotated her wrist. "I need a break from everything and everyone so I can get myself together." She stared at her feet. "I want you both to leave me alone for a while."

"What are you talking about?" Sofia asked. "We're your parents."

"I don't care," her voice became strained and weak. "Leave me in peace and then _maybe_ we can talk. I can't even look at you right now."

Mr. Silva reached out and grabbed Jasmine's arm, only to be swiftly knocked back on a bench. Jasmine had begun violently screaming and smacked her father clear across his face, stunning him and his wife.

Jasmine was livid now. "GET OUT!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, staggering back while pointing an accusing index finger at her father.

Several nurses stormed into the waiting room and dragged a frantic Jasmine away from the scene. The doctor who had been watching Jasmine at the moment entered and pointed to the door, eyes narrowed at Jasmine's family.

"You two must leave, NOW," she stressed. "Clearly you're aggravating her condition. It'd be wise to leave before you cause any more trouble."

Without another word, Mr. Silva left the room and disappeared. Meanwhile Sofia had watched as the nurses restrained Jasmine and injected her with a sedative. 'What have we done?'

* * *

_You bring me up, you bring me down and I just can't get enough of it._

* * *

Sora yawned and stretched out on the sofa in his downstairs game room. Once again, he'd fallen asleep with the TV on. Today was a lazy day despite all the activity going on upstairs. His mother and the hired help were preparing for their yearly Christmas party. With the party preparations, visits from family and friends, the mansion was busier than ever.

The boy yawned once more and rolled on his stomach. He couldn't wait for the holiday. All his friends and family would be at the house celebrating another Christmas together. Sora didn't care much for the gifts he received—he already had everything he could have ever wanted. But this time around Jasmine, his newly appointed older sister, would be coming home from the hospital.

Everything would be perfect.

'It has to be perfect,' he thought dreamily.

A familiar, dark chuckle filled the silence in the room. "Damn, Sora, are you always so lazy?"

Sora shot up from the couch and frantically searched the basement for the all-too-familiar voice that mocked him.

And then Sora spotted _him, _sitting on top of a pool table while turning the white ball in his left hand.

"I'm calling the police," Sora told him, glaring at the older boy fiercely. He ran for his cell phone that sat on the end of the table in the middle of the room.

Vanitas raised his hand. "Don't even bother, I'm leaving soon."

"You've got a lot of nerve to show up here after all that you did to Jasmine," Sora growled, stopping before he picked up his phone.

Vanitas chuckled. "Me and Jasmine had a lot of fun together, didn't we?"

Sora frowned. "You're sick."

The dark-haired older boy nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. "So is she. You just won't accept it yet. But," Vanitas set the ball down and hopped off the table, "that's not why I came."

Sora balled his fists. "Then why are you here? How did you get past security in the first place?"

Vanitas smirked. "You should know by now that I can get past anyone and anything to get what I want. I just don't give a damn."

"I'd leave if I were you," Sora warned, backing up, "one call and the police will be here to arrest you."

"Don't worry little cousin, I'll be gone in a bit." Vanitas then narrowed his eyes and smiled. "I just want to give you a heads up: I'll be back for Riku. He and I have a score to settle."

Sora's eyes widened in horror. "What did he ever do to you?"

"Jasmine seems a bit…distracted. I figure I should remove him from her path to clear her vision."

"YOU WON'T LAY A HAND ON RIKU!" Sora yelled fiercely.

Vanitas cocked an eyebrow at Sora's outburst. "Didn't know you had any bark…"

"I want you to leave Riku _and _Jasmine alone," Sora told him once more. "They don't wanna have anything to do with you."

Vanitas chuckled. "Well I can't say the same for Jasmine. We have a bit of unfinished business to take care of." He paused and crossed his arms over his chest. "She owes me a great deal for that stunt she pulled a while ago with my money."

Sora grumbled, "Jasmine should have taken you for all you're worth. You didn't deserve her."

"There's still a matter of twenty million," Vanitas dismissed Sora's statement. "I'm still going to get it from her one way or another."

"Ha! Like you'll be able to outsmart her," Sora smirked. "She beat you the last time, what makes you think it'll happen again?"

Vanitas fell silent for a moment. "You seem sure of yourself."

"I know so. You won't get away with _half _crap you pulled last time."

"Oh? Is that so?" Vanitas took a step toward Sora. "Care to make a little wager?"

Sora blinked. "Wager?"

"Are you stupid or something? A bet dumbass," Vanitas quipped.

"I know what it is," Sora growled.

"Good. Seeing as you seem confident in both Jasmine and Riku, I say we make a bet here." Vanitas cleared his throat and leaned against the pool table. "I'll disappear for a while. You won't hear anything from me and neither will anyone else. If Jasmine and Riku manage to outsmart me the second time around—which I highly doubt—I'll turn myself in to the police."

Sora couldn't believe Vanitas. There was no way he'd actually turn himself over to the authorities. "You're lying."

"I'm not done," Vanitas continued, "however, if I manage to get a hold of Jasmine _and _Riku," his eyes glowed dangerously, "_you'll _have to be the one to pay Jasmine's debt."

Sora understood the magnitude of the situation. It wasn't just Jasmine involved now. It was Riku and himself. He and Vanitas had always been at odds for as far back as he could remember. In addition to that, Vanitas knew how much Sora would inherit in the future from his parents. It was as if he was taking out anyone and everyone who would stand in his way.

"I don't have all day Sora. Make a choice."

Sora swallowed hard. "Will you promise to leave Riku and Jasmine alone?"

"I can't speak for Jasmine seeing as we have a different deal, but I _can_ promise that I'll leave you and Riku alone."

"What deal?"

Vanitas held up his hand to stop Sora. "That's between me and my fiancée." He then extended that same hand to Sora. "Do we have a deal, little cousin?"

Sora stared at Vanitas' hand. He had no choice but to agree. But this is where he had the advantage. Now he would have time to come up with a good plan to stop Vanitas once and for all.

"I mean—" Vanitas interrupted Sora's thoughts, "we can sweeten the deal." Vanitas reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture of Sora, Roxas and Kairi, "If you don't go through with this, I can go after that sweet little redhead you seem to be fond of as well."

Sora's face paled instantly and he felt himself swaying on his feet.

"I've seen her around. She really is quite pretty. Not as attractive as my Jasmine, but she's still a cute girl."

"You won't touch Kairi or any of my friends," Sora hissed dangerously.

"All you have to do is agree with me and you won't have anything to worry about. So," he lowered his voice, "do we have a deal?"

Sora closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. Instead of fear or panic, his face was a mask of confidence. He reached out and took Vanitas' hand.

"Deal."

* * *

_This time I'll be the one pulling the strings._

* * *

Demyx burst through the doors to Jasmine's room and threw his arms around the girl. "You IDIOT! You had me worried sick!"

Axel came in behind the blond and shook his head. "Do you think you could be a little less dramatic?"

"My girl escaped death here!" He cradled Jasmine's head in his arms. "I'm allowed to be emotional!"

The redhead leaned against the doorframe and stared at Jasmine. She was right all along. If she did happen to survive the incident, she wouldn't be the same.

"You look like hell," Axel deadpanned.

Demyx's jaw dropped and he released Jasmine. "You're so rude!"

Jasmine chuckled, causing Demyx to step aside and stare at the girl in awe. "I think that's fair enough to say. Certainly feels like it."

Axel smiled. "You know, when I first met you back when you were dating Roxas, I should've known that you were gonna be quite the handful." He studied her face and tilted her chin up with an index finger. Her eyes were wild and (what seemed to be) a permanent smirk was present on her face. "You look older too. You're not that little kid anymore."

Jasmine silenced herself. "It's so strange the effect one person can have on another," she began, placing an index finger on one of her temples and staring off blankly.

Demyx blinked and sat down next to her. He took her free hand and held it. "Are you talking about Vanitas?"

She nodded. "And a few others as well," Jasmine answered. "I never expected myself to be the type of person to be influenced by the people around me. And now look—all of you have left your mark on me."

Axel stared at her intently. "Who are you now?"

Demyx stared at Axel curiously. "What the heck kinda question is that?"

The redhead pointed to the raven-haired, battered teen. "She knows what I'm talking about."

Jasmine's shoulders slumped. "I'm just trying to find my way to a happy medium. I know I'm not that innocent little girl who first arrived to the island and I accept it. It's natural to mourn for the loss of your innocence amidst tragedy and heartbreak but I have to move forward." Jasmine gave a heavy, painful sigh. "And I know that the personality I developed to deal with all this is still creeping around."

Axel rubbed his eyes right where his tattoos were. This whole event had been more taxing than he had anticipated. "I know what you're talking about. But the thing is, you always had that separate personality hiding inside of you. It's yours. But you're determined to not live your life in the way that you have in the past so you shouldn't give it much thought. You survived by going off what YOU think is best. I'd be pretty damn proud of myself if I were you."

Demyx's face was blank.

"Come again?"

Axel rolled his eyes dramatically and Jasmine cracked a smile.

"You guys crack me up," she said with a monotone voice.

Demyx placed a hand on her shoulders. "It's too bad you're in the hospital. I wanted you to perform with me on Christmas Day." The blond grimaced. "Instead I'm with some newcomer who firmly believes that she is your replacement."

Jasmine raised an eyebrow. "I'm not famous, Demyx. It's not like I've been out there in the industry for very long. Besides, it's not like I have a distinctive style to begin with."

Demyx jumped to his feet. "Are you kidding? You're the sweet and sexy girl who goes for the dark pop/rock with class and a killer voice! Of COURSE you have style!" He began to pout. "I can't believe Angela stuck me with her. But then again, you're still bandaged up and sick. I'm not gonna ask you to get up onstage and sing for my sake," he finished dramatically, falling over the girl.

The redhead smirked. "You're subtle. The girl just got over a traumatic experience. Give her some time."

Jasmine let the thought sink in. She'd heard the whispers around her over the past few days. Things were going to change very soon. There was a good chance wouldn't even be on the island and she wouldn't be able to sing or see her friends and family again.

"What time do I have to be there?"

* * *

_Even if I lose myself it has to be done._

* * *

Sora, Riku, Kairi and Roxas pulled up to the hospital and checked the car into the parking lot.

Kairi got out first and unlocked the trunk, pulling out a giant brown teddy bear. She handed the bear to Riku and then handed Sora a purple gift bag. Once everything was out of the trunk of Roxas' car, she shut it and the four of them headed to the front.

Sora skipped ahead of everyone else. "My sister is finally out of the hospital!" He yelled, practically beaming at the thought.

Riku snickered. In his arms he held a gorgeous bouquet of purple roses. "Stop running before you trip, hurt yourself and end up in a hospital bed yourself."

Roxas and Kairi laughed while Sora halted in his tracks, right in front of the entrance.

"You guys are evil," Sora whimpered.

Kairi walked up to his side. "I didn't say anything," she offered.

"You were probably laughing internally," he argued weakly.

Before Kairi could open her mouth, Riku butted in. "Exactly."

The brown-haired boy rolled his eyes dramatically. "Shut up. Let's just get Jasmine out of this hospital. It's Christmas and I'm sure she's sick of looking at those white walls."

"I agree," Roxas chimed in. "When I got my tonsils taken out, I thought I was going to lose my mind."

Sora recalled the incident. "I remember. You were calling Naminé over every chance you got."

Roxas blushed a bit at the memory. "Hospitals suck." He walked over to the receptionist's desk. "I wonder how Jasmine has been able to survive it this long…"

Riku fell silent at the back of the group. A few days ago, when he had gone to check in on Jasmine, he had been stopped by the nurses and came about some startling news.

"_What do you mean I can't see her?" Riku asked, clearly confused by what the doctor said. He was standing at the receptionist's desk with the same doctor who had cared for Jasmine and two other nurses._

_The doctor shook her head. "I'm sorry, Riku. I know you've been here for weeks, constantly supporting Jasmine…however…" her voice trailed off. _

_Riku shifted the weight to his other foot and stuck his hands in his pockets. "'However' what?" _

_She held the clipboard to her chest. "We don't think it would be a good idea for you to see her at this time."_

_Riku's eyes widened. "Did something happen to her? Is she okay?"_

_The doctor hesitated. She had been advised by the police to not share any information regarding the incident with the girl's ex-fiancee. Despite the fact that the hospital had state of the art security, Vanitas had managed to sneak in and send the girl into a fit. Now the hospital moved Jasmine to a more heavily guarded area. If word of the incident got out, it could ruin the hospital's reputation. _

"_Jasmine isn't feeling well right now," she repeated once more. _

_Riku was becoming irritated. He knew the doctors were keeping something from him. "I'll stay here as long as I need to find out what happened. And even if I you don't tell me, someone else in a higher position will." It was rare that Riku exerted his social status to get what he wanted but if Faye was involved, he'd be more than willing to step out of character._

_The doctor tensed up. She knew who Riku was and his family. Conceivably he could find out whatever he needed. All he had to do was make a phone call and that was it._

"_Excuse me for a moment," she stepped from the receptionist's desk and motioned for Riku to follow her. Riku nodded and tailed after her. She was moving quite fast down a hall he had never seen before. _

_After a silent walk for a few, the doctor spoke. "You know, I've never seen a boy your age care so much for a girl in my life. Not even most couples are this dedicated to their loved ones."_

_Riku did not answer. He watched carefully as they came to a door with some sort of security lock near the door handle. _

"_We checked the security tapes," she typed in the code and a beeping sound was heard. "Vanitas found Jasmine the other night and came into her room. We found her in the hallway a total wreck." _

_Riku froze on the spot, his anger rising. "What? How could he even get inside? The security knows to be on the lookout!"_

_She whipped around and told him to be quiet. "Yes we know that. For some reason, one of the main cameras malfunctioned and so we only have footage of him leaving the hospital. We're still trying to figure out why the cameras failed like that." They came to another security door down another hall and she punched in another access code. "We don't know exactly what happened between them, all we know was that she was out in the hall and had a weapon to protect herself."_

_Riku balled his fists. He had hoped and prayed that Vanitas would have been caught by now. He saw pictures of the wreck. From the damage to the front, Vanitas should not have survived. But then again, Jasmine shouldn't have survived either. _

"_And what happened after that?"_

"…_we had to sedate her. She's not in good shape at all."_

_Riku's heart dropped. How could the situation get any worse? 'She was already almost on the brink of death.'_

_They came to a room with a large glass window from floor to ceiling. That particular hospital room was extremely large yet empty save for several monitors and the bed that was right next to the glass. But what interested Riku the most was the girl sitting on top of the bed looking more like a broken- down doll than an actual human being. _

_Jasmine was bundled up in the covers, completely oblivious to the fact that Riku was standing right next to her through the glass. Her head was tilted back and her empty eyes seemed to be fixated on the ceiling with her lips parted slightly. Her breathing, Riku noticed, was very uneven and her skin was very clammy. It seemed as though all the progress she made in recuperating had gone to waste. She was back to how she was when she first arrived._

"_We were considering letting her go early, but we can't let her go. Not like this…" She cleared her throat. "Jasmine is unstable right now. She doesn't need anything startling her." She turned to Riku. "I'm sorry, but that's just how it has to be."_

"She's GONE?" Sora yelled at the top of his lungs. Riku and Roxas shot each other worried and confused glances at the outburst.

The young receptionist covered her ears. Sora was a lot louder than he probably intended. "Yes she's gone. Faye was checked out at around nine in the morning—two hours ago."

Kairi looked to Roxas. "That's weird. Tifa said we could pick her up. I don't understand."

"It wasn't Tidus or Selphie," Sora told the group, turning his back on the receptionist. "They're back at my place setting up the game room."

A wave of dread washed over Riku. He brushed past Sora and the others to get to the front desk. "What did the person look like who brought her home?"

The receptionist blushed. The young man standing before her was extremely attractive. "Umm, h-he was blond, h-had on sunglasses," she stumbled over her words a bit, "like a celebrity or something."

Riku looked over his shoulder. "Do you guys know anyone like that?"

Sora pointed to Roxas. "Other than this dude, no."

"Oh!" The nurse exclaimed. "And there was a redhead with them too." Her blush deepened. "He was really attractive as well."

"Where could she be?" Kairi asked, clearly sounding concerned.

"She seemed to know them if that helps. They all seemed to be laughing as she left the hospital." She reached into a desk and pulled out a small white envelope. "The blond one told me to give you guys these and to come to Traverse Square at two o'clock."

Despite gaining this new information, Riku was still on pins and needles. He took the envelope from the receptionist, thanked her and then headed for the exit only to be trailed by the others.

"Should we call Tifa?" This question came from Roxas.

"We have to. If she's not there at the house then Tifa is clearly going to have a problem with all this. Let's give her a call now."

"I hope she's alright."

* * *

_And even though it kills me to do this, I'll do it only because I love you._

* * *

"I don't get it," Demyx watched as the makeup artist applied Jasmine's eyeshadow. "Why don't you have the scars covered up?" The two were backstage at Traverse Square getting ready for a concert.

Jasmine was wearing a completely backless dress revealing the carving Vanitas put in her skin. Despite the protests of the makeup artists and wardrobe staff, Jasmine refused to cover up the rather grotesque scars. She jumped to her feet, winced a bit and shook it off.

"It's not like they're going away anytime soon. Besides, they serve as a reminder," she told the blond. Jasmine held out the poufy skirt of her gray dress. "Well," she gave a turn, "what do you think?"

Jasmine was wearing a short, gray, collared halter dress with a black, lacy bandeau top underneath it. She kept some of the bandages on her legs simply for the fact that those wounds might open during the concert. Over those were black, lacy, thigh high socks and she had black, fingerless gloves on her hands and a white bow-tie around her neck with knee high combat boots.

Once Demyx saw how bad the scars were, he tried to talk Jasmine out of the concert. Something about her didn't seem…right. There was definitely something going on with Jasmine but no matter how many times he asked, she would always say that she was fine. He figured he could have a talk with her once they were done performing.

"You look amazing," he beamed, keeping his thoughts carefully hidden. Demyx stood up and gave her a hug, being ever so careful as to not put any extra pressure on her back. "Now," he pulled back her bangs, "let's give them a show."

* * *

_The pain in your eyes is impossible to ignore._

* * *

Sora, Riku, Kairi, Roxas, Naminé, Selphie, Tidus, and Tifa's group headed down to the Traverse Square. There were thousands of people all crowded around a stage in the middle of the square. Luckily, Selphie had managed to get them through so that they were all fairly close to the front of the stage.

"I don't get it," The brunette called, "why isn't Jasmine in the hospital?"

Zack frowned. "That girl is too unpredictable."

Aerith put her hand on his shoulder. "She's probably going to be here enjoying the concert. After all, it is Demyx performing. His Christmas concerts are huge."

"She shouldn't be out in all this," Tifa said sternly, "she's not well enough."

Yuffie turned to face Tifa. This was one of the first times that she'd ever seen the young woman so serious. "Does she know Vincent is coming to take her after Christmas?" Yuffie made sure to say this low enough to where no one besides Tifa could hear her.

Tifa sighed. "I haven't had the chance to tell her yet."

The raven-haired woman whispered in Tifa's ear, "You're doing the right thing. Don't stress about it, okay?"

The roar of the fans in the square silenced the group. Within moments, the band began to play and the dancers stormed the lower half of the stage. While the crowd was in awe by the performance put on by background performers, Riku scanned the crowd for any sign of his girlfriend.

'You'd better not be hurt,' he thought, frowning as he did so.

A familiar song blared through the speakers and (if it seemed at all possible) the crowd went even wilder, especially when a familiar blond-haired musician stormed the stage with his trademark guitar in hand.

Demyx, ever the performer, introduced himself to all those in the square with a classic smile that melted the hearts of all those watching. After that, he went straight into one of the songs that were on his newest album that had yet to be released. Despite holding a guitar and singing, he still walked down an aisle into the crowd and interacted with them, never missing a beat or slipping on a note. There was a reason why he was one of the most successful musicians of his time.

* * *

_The pain to see you in this way breaks me._

* * *

After thirty minutes and still no sight of Jasmine, Sora was now on pins and needles. He yanked the nearest person, who happened to be Roxas, and pulled him close.

"I'm gonna go through the crowd to see if I can find her!" He screamed, trying to speak above the crowd.

Roxas nodded. "If she's in this mess, she could be hurt. We'd better go find her!"

Sora and Roxas grabbed Riku, telling him of their plan and he offered to go with them. "It'll be easier if we all go. This crowd is too big to find one person!"

As soon as the crowd calmed considerably, Demyx was now standing on the far right hand side of the stage facing the audience. He sat on a stood and handed one of his dancers his guitar. Still smiling despite jumping around on a stage and singing for thirty minutes straight, he did not show any signs of fatigue whatsoever.

"Are you all enjoying the show?" He asked the audience, getting a roar of screams in response.

"It's been a crazy year," he continued, "I'm not gonna lie to you and say that everything was easy. But throughout the year, there have been a lot of positives."

Sora darted for the opposite side of the stage while Roxas headed for where Demyx was. Riku decided to head toward the aisle that split the crowd in half, searching desperately for Jasmine.

"I got to meet so many of my fans in person," Demyx repositioned himself on the stool, "I was able to tour in places I never expected to, and I came across some people I now hold near and dear to me."

Once the screams died down, Demyx continued.

"I met a girl this year," Demyx said thoughtfully, looking into the cloudy sky up above. It was starting to sprinkle a bit but he didn't let this stop him. "This girl," he chuckled, "was one hell of a surprise. See, she was this quiet, shy bookworm who didn't have much to say when we first met. Very pretty," he pointed out, "but very quiet."

The stage lights began to dim and on the opposite side it was completely pitch black.

"After a couple of hours, I realized that she had a real fiery personality, a sick ass voice, and piano skills I _wish_ I had. THIS girl," he was very firm when he said this, "is the strongest woman I've ever met and will ever meet in my life and because of her, one of my singles shattered records all over the world."

The crowd was quieter now, wondering who in the world Demyx could be talking about.

Demyx pointed to the screen behind him and the music video for "Heartbreakers" appeared from the very beginning. Once Jasmine appeared on the screen, the crowd went wild and cheered.

"Faye has been feeling very sick so performing is impossible at this point." All those in the audience sighed while Jasmine's family and friends looked to each other with wild, bewildered expressions plastered on their faces. Demyx scanned over the audience and soon, the sound of a piano filled in the area. He smiled then. "BUT with her being incredibly strong as an individual, she's also stubborn as hell."

Demyx then slipped into a piano version of the song "Heartbreakers" and sang softly to the audience. He then looked over to the other side of the stage as soon as his verse was over, smiled and pulled the mic away from his face.

The other side of the stage was now lit and the mystery piano player was now revealed to all. Jasmine sat at a white, grand piano and sang the chorus to Demyx, holding back her powerful voice to the point where it was almost a whisper.

All of Jasmine's friends and family froze at the sight of the girl sitting on the stage, belting out flawless notes and performing for thousands of people.

"Oh my God," Tifa whispered, awed, shocked and excited all at the same time.

Riku froze amidst the crowd and stared at the close up image of Jasmine on the screen.

Sora and Roxas reunited, the two of them smiling at each other and giving themselves high-fives.

"That's our girl," Sora beamed.

Once Jasmine was done with the chorus, she stood up and slowly walked over to Demyx who did the same, singing to him with a loving expression in her eyes. She pulled the mic from the stand off the piano and continued on her way towards him, fear shaking her to the core but determined to not let it show.

'I hope you're watching,' Jasmine thought as she stared at Demyx with a mental image of Riku burned into her mind.

Soon, Jasmine and Demyx were standing in front of each other, holding hands as they did so. Once the song was over, the music died down and cheering resumed.

Demyx grinned. "Kill em," he told her sternly, loud enough for everyone to hear.

A familiar smirk crept up on Jasmine's face. The music to one of her songs began to play and she nodded her head. Jasmine playfully pushed him aside. "With pleasure," she answered.

From the moment the guitarist began digging into the strings and the percussionists hammered away at the beats, Jasmine felt as if her body was charged with energy she never knew she had. It was all too surreal, like one of her dreams. But this time, she knew that this was no dream.

"I know I've been gone for a while," she told the screaming fans, "things have been crazy and I know I've been gone for a while. But I'm gonna make it up to you, right now!"

With that, the musicians flipped the script on everyone in the square and a brand new song no one had heard before began to play. This one, another rock/pop fused tune blasted through the speakers and Jasmine headed down the aisle, singing one of her original, unreleased songs from when she first began with Angela's group.

Jasmine performed at the level of a seasoned musician. Her energy was above and beyond, her vocals were on point and her dancing was phenomenal. She continued to travel down the aisle, bending down to shake the hands of her male and female fans as she went.

Tears streamed down Tifa's face. 'My daughter…'

Aerith noticed this and threw her arms around Tifa, watching Yuffie, Zack and Jasmine's friends scream as loud as they could for their friend. "She's going to be just fine."

Once the concert was over and the crowd had dispersed, only Jasmine's group remained. After Tifa spotted Angela talking to a man in a black suit on the stage, the group was then allowed past security to get onstage.

After Angela and that man finished their conversation, Riku stormed up to his mother with a wild look on his face. "How could you NOT tell me this was gonna happen?"

Angela winced at the volume of her son's voice. "It was a last minute thing," she admitted sheepishly, "but I bet you liked it, huh?"

Kairi, Naminé and Selphie ran up to Angela. "Can we see her?" They all said in unison.

Angela laughed at their eagerness. She pointed to the black curtain behind her. "Jasmine's taking off her makeup, go for it."

With that, the kids dashed backstage while the adults stood on the aisle.

"That's some girl you've got there," Angela said to Tifa. "I'm glad she's got a mother like you to look out for her."

Tifa smiled bashfully at the comment. "Actually, I can't take credit for what Jasmine has done. Everything you saw out there was all her."

Angela put a hand on Tifa's shoulder. "The man I was talking to, wants to have Jasmine tour with Demyx after his next album comes out in a few weeks. It'll be a summer tour so she won't be missing anything with university."

"Good," Aerith said.

"We'd kinda like her to have SOMEWHAT of a normal childhood," Zack agreed.

Tifa shook her head. "You're wrong," she looked to Zack, "she's not a child anymore. And Jasmine was never normal to begin with."

The kids got backstage to see Demyx hovering over someone stretched out on a black sofa.

"Her and normal don't belong in the same sentence," Tifa added.

Riku smiled at the sight before him, taking a place next to Demyx. Jasmine was lying on the couch with her knees pulled to her chest, sleeping soundly, still with her outfit and makeup on.

"Take her home," Demyx told Riku.

"You should come by my house for our family's Christmas party," Sora said, "I mean," he added hastily, "if you aren't busy you know…"

"Are you kidding?" Demyx was all smiles. "I'd love to!"

Riku carefully picked up Jasmine and carried her bridal style down the steps with their friends following closely behind.

Tifa watched as Riku carried her daughter away. 'She's beyond anything I've ever come across in my life.'

* * *

_Someone like me never learned how to love. I finally did and the pain following it was immeasurable._

* * *

Riku walked with Jasmine back towards his house. It was rather cool outside, even for one in the morning but the heat from Jasmine's body kept him content. She was finally back.

"You scared us shitless when you weren't at the hospital," he told her again.

Jasmine smiled weakly. "My apologies," she replied, holding tight to his hand as they walked up the driveway to his home. "It was just something I had to do."

Once the couple was let inside, Riku took her face in his hands and kissed her softly. "Fine. But don't do that again. I almost had a heart-attack."

Jasmine inhaled, thankful that the house was dark so that he couldn't see her face. "Are you sure your parents are fine with me spending the night?"

Riku rolled his eyes and led her up the stairs to the guest bedroom. "My parents adore you. Of course they don't mind." Once they were near the bedroom, he stopped, causing her to come to a complete stop.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

Without warning, Riku took her into a tender, tight embrace as if he were afraid to let her go. "I thought you were going to die." In response, Jasmine buried her face in his chest and latched her arms around his torso. "Especially when we found out that Vanitas was still alive."

"I'm not afraid of him," she said into his chest. "He _will _be caught."

"I should have seen all the signs ahead of time," Riku continued. "I should have never let him harm you. I don't care if I would have been killed."

Jasmine pulled back and punched him square in the chest. "Shut up! If you would have died, everyone would have been devastated! Don't talk like your life isn't important! It's more important to me than mine."

Under the light from the shadows of the moon was Riku able to get a good clear view of her face. The fatigue and exhaustion was clear on her face. It was as if she was still a ghost of her former self. Even her speech was tighter and more controlled. Jasmine was still not at ease.

"You need to be more quiet," Riku advised. "We don't want my parents waking up."

Still, Jasmine was on edge. "If you say something that stupid again, I'll—"She was silenced when Riku stole her lips with another kiss. Only this one was more passionate, heated and love driven with a hint of desperation than any other kiss Jasmine had in her lifetime. Once it was done, Jasmine's breathing was ragged and heavy.

"Shut up," he said, more playfully this time. Riku led Jasmine to her room. "When you're done, come to my bedroom. Alright?" He pushed open the door and shut it before she could cut the lights on.

Jasmine felt chills run down her spine when Riku finally left. She crossed her arms over her chest as if she were hugging herself. 'Something is happening,' she realized. After calming herself down, Jasmine cut on the lights to the guest bedroom to find that it had been completely filled with purple roses everywhere. Everything in the room was in a lavish, purple and gold theme down to the bedsheets, carpet and the walls. There on the king-sized bed was a box and a letter sitting on top of it. Carefully, Jasmine hopped onto the bed (her back was killing her) and sat on her knees in front of it.

Just as she reached for the letter, her phone vibrated violently, startling her. Feeling as if a weight dropped in her stomach, she swallowed the feeling and opened the text message. Jasmine's lips began to quiver and she dropped the phone to the bed.

'I can't believe this,' she said mentally, letting her head droop. 'I should have known not to expect anything good to come from this.'

With a heavy heart, Jasmine replied to the text and set the phone aside. She reached for the letter but pulled back, not wanting to know its contents just yet. Instead she opened the box to find that it was a royal purple, long sleeved, collared, nightshirt that looked as if it would reach her knees. Jasmine discarded her clothes on the side of the bed and slipped into the pajamas.

After much debate, Jasmine snatched the letter. It was from Riku.

"_This might be incredibly inappropriate considering the past events. But then again, considering the events that just occurred this might be the best time to do this. _

_I love you more than you could ever know and I've loved you…probably longer than even I'm aware. I am not going to lose you again and at least this way, I know at least we'll be tied together in a more permanent way._

_Reach into your pocket."_

Jasmine did as she was instructed and was surprised when she felt something cold and metal graze her fingers. As soon as Jasmine realized what it was, her eyes began to stream tears down her face and onto her feet. She held the item and clutched it in the palm of her right hand, bolting through the door to Riku's room only to find him standing beside his bed wearing a white dress shirt, slacks, dress shoes with purple rose petals sprinkled across the room.

Riku felt his heart racing as he saw Jasmine hold up the engagement ring he had given her with a shaky hand. It was similar to the ring he'd given her on her birthday except the purple diamond was much larger and across the white gold band were tiny, numerous diamonds that glittered even under the dim lighting.

"Y-You…" she said, voice trembling with tears continuing to pour down her face.

"I'm not letting you go again," Riku said, finding the courage to continue on no matter what. "I won't watch you walk down the aisle with another man. I'm selfish," he slowly approached her and stopped when there was only about a foot of distance between them. "I want you for myself. But I will do anything in the world for you." Riku took her hands and stared lovingly into her eyes. "It doesn't have to be right away, but I do want it to be before we graduate from college."

Riku bent down on one knee and Jasmine felt her heart completely stop.

"Faye Silva, will you marry me?"

Jasmine tore one of her hands from Riku's and covered her mouth. Never before had she felt pain like this. Life was not supposed to be this cruel.

Still, Jasmine nodded her head while muffling her sobs.

"Yes?" Riku's eyes lit up.

Jasmine pulled her hand from her mouth long enough to give him a smile. "Y-Yes," she said shakily. "I will."

Riku took the ring from her free hand and slid it on her left hand on her ring finger. With a smile, he kissed her with all he hand and then brought her once again to him with an embrace. Jasmine continued to sob into his shirt, not even bothering to muffle her voice.

'What have I done?' she thought. 'He doesn't deserve this.' Jasmine squeezed her eyes shut and made a choice.

She looked up to him, her eyes slowly but surely drying. For the briefest moment, Riku saw a flash of agony.

"We should tell our parents," Riku said slowly, heart swelling from her answer.

Jasmine put her hand over his mouth. "Shhh," she told him softly, glad that the lights from the candles were starting to go out. She made a nod toward Riku's bed.

"What?"

Jasmine did so again, this time she urged him there with her eyes.

Riku then realized what she meant and his pulse quickened. "Faye, are you sure?"

Jasmine's only response was a teasing kiss. She pulled him by the belt loops of his pants and sat him on the bed. Jasmine grabbed the candle that sat on his nightstand and closed her eyes.

'I don't deserve you,' Jasmine told herself, blowing out the light.

She set the candle down and straddled his lap, kissing him until they were both breathless. Slowly Jasmine began to strip him of his clothes and he did the same for her. Soon, the only thing left was the heat of their bodies warming them as they became intertwined in each other, their heavy breathing and heartbeats synced together perfectly and a fog of love, lust and agony that faded into the night.

* * *

_I'm not sorry I loved you, but I'm sorry you loved me._

* * *

Riku shivered despite being tangled in his covers. It was as if heat was torn from his body and he began to shiver.

He never was good with the cold.

He smiled as he kept his eyes shut. His girlfriend-turned-fiancée was lying next to him. All he had to do was wrap his arms around her soft body and soon all would be well again. Riku could bury his face into her hair and latch an arm around her middle to pull her close. She wouldn't fight him like she would have when they first met. Now they were engaged and he just knew that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

Riku's mind played over the events of the night. He had been with a girl or two before but that meant nothing. He and Jasmine made love for the first time after she accepted his wedding proposal. Nothing else in this life would top the feelings from when she said "Yes", to when they were together, and to that final kiss when they fell asleep.

He was in heaven.

Riku turned over on his side to where Jasmine should have been and was surprised to find the spot bare.

"Faye?" He called softly. Once his vision cleared, Riku realized that she was no longer in the room.

He kicked his feet over the edge of the bed and cracked his neck. 'She probably went to the bathroom or something,' Riku told himself.

Riku's eyes fell on his nightstand and oddly enough, a letter was sitting on the edge as if it were about to fall over. Knowing that he didn't leave a letter there, he picked it up and read it, his eyes widening in fear. When Riku came to the last line, he slapped the letter down and held his head in his hands, the last lines of the letter playing over and over in his head like a never-ending nightmare.

"…_to spend my future with you would mean more to me than anything else but my days are numbered. I'm leaving the island. I can't tell you where or for how long. I don't even know that myself. Part of me believes I'll never come back."_

The rings that Riku had given her sat on his nightstand by a lamp.

"_I will not live long enough to make it to the aisle but if I could, I would do it with you. You say you care about me. I love you more than life itself and so that is why I'm giving you yours back."_

Riku rubbed his eyes and cursed himself. 'This can't be happening…'

"_I'd give anything to spend the rest of my life with you but I will not put you through this pain again. So I'll have to hurt you one more time. I pray it is the last."_

A tear slid down Riku's cheek and the last words she wrote were now burned in his head and heart.

"_I'm sorry, but I do this only because I love you."_

The End

* * *

So how's that for an ending? I really hope you guys liked it. Anywho, check out the sequel. It should be up at or before Christmas. I'm trying to publish the new story on the day that this one ended (inside of course).

I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

All the breaks with italics were Jasmine's final thoughts leading up to the ending by the way.

Take care everyone and look out for my updates as well as _Sins and an Absolution._

Bye!


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